


Along For The Rides

by notarelationship (justpracticing)



Category: Glee
Genre: AU, M/M, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-03-22 09:52:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13761600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justpracticing/pseuds/notarelationship
Summary: AU.  Blaine and Kurt get their summer romance on. Mostly fluff, awkward flirting, a side of misunderstanding and some hanky panky.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I (mostly) wrote this nearly two years ago and gave up on it, but I picked it up again after Hating Game, worked out some issues, and it's (more or less) where I want it, hopefully it all holds together!
> 
> 7 (8?) chapters, new chapters to post every 2-3 days. 
> 
> If you're worried about starting a wip, chapters 1-3 are complete, 4-5 are 96% there and 6-7 are in full outline/ draft stage. 
> 
> thanks of course to honeysucklepink for the beta.

Blaine Anderson looks at himself in the full length mirror hanging in his bedroom closet, feeling a lot like he’s wearing some kind of costume. He doesn’t mind the tight t-shirt so much, he decides after staring for a while - it actually makes his shoulders look pretty good, but the rip at the knee of his jeans is giving him hives. It’s not that Blaine is opposed to casual dress in appropriate situations, but the guy he sees in the mirror doesn’t look at all like who he feels like on the inside. 

There is no way this is going to work.

“This is totally going to work,” Sam says.

Sam has been Blaine’s best friend since freshman year, when his dad changed jobs and moved Blaine and his mom across the state from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Blaine has always had a little crush on Sam, which occasionally led to Blaine agreeing to anything Sam suggested before he really knew what he was getting himself into. 

Like once, not long after they had met, Sam had talked him into volunteering at the local animal shelter on adoption day. Sam had smiled his goofy smile and Blaine had said sure. What Sam had neglected to tell Blaine was that the adoption fair wasn’t for traditional household pets like cats and dogs and the occasional ferret. Oh no. The shelter was a farm animal rescue, and Blaine spent half the day chasing a tiny pig around an enclosure and went home covered in mud and other things.

Right now, though, Sam is lying on his back on Blaine’s bed, bouncing a foam basketball against the wall trying to talk Blaine into running away to work on a traveling carnival for the summer, and Blaine is trying not to stare. Sam’s always had a good body but at the moment Blaine is finding it it more distracting than he should. Blaine could really use a boyfriend.

“You look cool dude. Hot, even. I mean, if I thought that way about you. Which I don’t - as you know,” Sam says. “And you look like a tough guy, which is perfect because if you worked the midway games wearing those grandpa sweaters and bow ties you like so much you won’t last two days.” Sam catches the ball off the wall and then twists around to sit up, his feet dangling off the bed. “And honestly? You could use a little scoundrel in you, Blaine. People think they can rescue bad boys from whatever horrible life choices they’ve made, and since you’re, like, the actual nicest guy I’ve ever met, you can pretend to be all rehabilitated and sensitive. Guaranteed chick magnet.” Blaine levels a look that must effectively convey _chicks?wtf ??_ since Sam corrects himself right away. “Dudes’ll love it too. I promise.” 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what dudes love.” Blaine smirks at his reflection. But maybe Sam is right. He still isn’t sure why he would want to pretend to be someone he isn’t. Blaine frowns, watching his brows knot together in the mirror. Changing his clothes isn’t going to change who he is inside, will it?

Blaine has to admit that the leather jacket does look kind of good, and he doesn’t really look awful in the t-shirt and jeans. Just different. Maybe it will be nice to be someone else, just for a little while, someone who doesn’t worry about grades or performances or being ‘the gay kid’ at school. He tugs at his curly hair, untamed in messy ringlets all over his head. “Can’t I at least put some gel in my hair? I look like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet.”

“Come on, man. It’s just for the summer. You could use the change of scenery before you head off to college and a new life and all those new opportunities. And by opportunities I totally mean dudes.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t mean I should run away and join the circus-” 

“Carnival Blaine, not the circus,” Sam scolds, a stern expression on his face that Blaine isn’t sure is a put on. “They take their livelihood seriously.”

“Fine. Carnival,” Blaine teases, closing the closet door and sitting on the bed next to Sam. “Look, you know I don’t have much experience, doing _that._ ” Blaine gestures with his hands and Sam just looks puzzled. 

“Dude, you know I’m no good at charades.”

Blaine knows he’s blushing. Which is stupid because Sam knows exactly how much experience Blaine has with guys, and that it is exactly none. “I meant I don’t really have much experience with,” Blaine drops his voice to a stage whisper, “Sex.”

“You know, if you can’t say it you probably shouldn’t be having it,” Sam says, sounding eerily like the health ed teacher they had in the 10th grade. 

“Well I am definitely not having it, so it doesn't matter if I can say it or not.” Blaine’s trying to be sarcastic but thinks he might just sound desperate. Or pathetic. Sam doesn’t say anything though, which is great because Blaine knows Sam lost his virginity in middle school. 

Sam looks at Blaine, his face serious.. In the years Blaine and Sam have been friends, he’s learned a lot about Sam’s facial expressions and what they mean. But right now Blaine has no idea what he’s thinking. 

“Look dude, I know southern Ohio hasn’t been the hotbed of gay teen action you were hoping it would be when you moved here.” Blaine rolls his eyes. He’s met exactly one other gay kid since they moved, and while Michael is a nice guy, and they were friendly during high school, Blaine doesn’t have all that much in common with him, and never considered dating him. He doesn’t think Michael was interested in him that way either. “But I did this job last summer, and there was another gay guy working the Scrambler, and I swear to god he got laid at every stop. Sometimes twice!”

“Ew.” Blaine grimaces, laughing. “And you’re an idiot.” 

Sam finally breaks out into a grin, and Blaine has to look away. It’s just a little crush. He doesn’t _want_ Sam like that. “And I had a _great_ summer last year, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, please don’t go into detail, all right?” Blaine makes a disgusted face and holds up one hand in front of Sam. 

Sam took the job with the carnival the summer before because it kept him away from home. His family had been having money trouble, and the carnival covered room and board as well as a small weekly salary. It took a little pressure off of his parents to not have to support him, even just for a few months, and Sam could still send them some money to help. This year his parents were doing much better, but Sam really enjoyed working for the carnival and had somehow he’d convinced Blaine that it would be fun to do it together. Sort of a last summer adventure before Blaine moved to New York for college. Surprisingly, Blaine’s parents hadn’t put up (much of) an objection. 

Blaine was the holdout. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend his summer locking people into the ferris wheel all over Ohio. 

“So aren’t most of the guys who work in the carnival circuit, like, forty year old weirdos with moustaches?” Blaine finally asked. Blaine was open to a guy with a moustache - even though he preferred to do as much manscaping as his age and opportunity allowed, but he’s not so sure about someone too much older than him. At least not yet.

“Some of them, sure. But they hire local high school kids to do things like sell food and run the ticket booths because it doesn’t make sense to have to pay a whole crew to travel around. Think about it, Blaine. You’re never in one place longer than a couple weeks, nothing is too serious, or too permanent, and everybody knows it. So you don’t have to worry about anything but having a good time. There are ride bunnies in every county in Ohio. And I guarantee some of them are guys looking for some no strings attached action.”

“Ride bunnies?” Blaine asked.

“That’s what they call the girls who hang around and hook up with the carnival regulars. Sort of like groupies that hang around touring bands and stuff like that.” 

Blaine wasn’t entirely sure how comfortable he was with the idea that there are people hanging around the carnival that just want to have sex with the guys who work there. On the other hand, Sam wasn’t wrong about him wanting to get more experience. He really doesn’t want to go to New York City without at least having kissed a guy. He probably wouldn’t even say no to a little more than kissing, although he suspects Sam is probably overplaying Blaine’s chances just to get him to take the job with him.

“Fine,” Blaine says, giving in to Sam’s pleading look. It’s the same one that had him bottle feeding goats two years before, and he never could resist it.

Sam whoops and throws his fist in the air. 

\--

Kurt Hummel is zipped into his custom fit Hummel Tire & Lube coveralls and throwing open the doors to the shop at 6:28 am on Tuesday morning, because his dad always says that if someone is going to have a problem with their car odds are it’s going to be first thing in the morning when they’re all set to be on their way somewhere, so it’s just good business to be ready to help people early. And Burt Hummel is nearly always right.

So it’s early, and Kurt is not a morning person no matter how hard he tries, and he has not had nearly enough coffee for his brain to be working anywhere close to full capacity. Unfortunately, the Lima Bean doesn’t open until 8, so for the first hour that he’s at the garage he has to contend with the thin black water that his father makes in the 11 year old Mr. Coffee he keeps in the reception area. Kurt swears he uses an old sweat sock as a filter, too.

“It’s fine coffee, Kurt,” Burt insiss. “Mr. Coffee was a state of the art coffee maker before all those fancy coffee shops convinced everyone that something that tastes like caramel and sugar was coffee.” Kurt rolls his eyes at his dad and is about to tell him exactly how he feels about his dad’s precious Mr. Coffee when a small RV pulls into the driveway in front of the double-wide doors to the garage.

Kurt has been working for his dad since he was old enough to swing a socket, so at 18 years old he’s had plenty of experience both fixing cars and greeting customers. He‘s also spent his whole life in Lima, and between the garage and twelve years of public school, he often feels like he knows the face of every person who could possibly live in the entire town. 

The face on the person who jumps down from the driver’s seat isn’t one he knows; Kurt is pretty sure he’d have remembered him if he had. He’s young, maybe Kurt’s age, wearing jeans and a t-shirt and a too big in the shoulders leather jacket. He definitely hadn’t gone to McKinley High School - Kurt wouldn’t have enjoyed spending four years staring at this boy, wishing he were gay. 

As Kurt gets closer he notices that his work boots are dirty but not worn, his hair curly in a way that probably makes it difficult for its owner to manage, and his very nice eyes brighten up when he smiles at Kurt’s _hello_. He’s hot in a James Dean, Midwestern delinquent kind of way, and Kurt might have been tempted to linger, but his past experience with boys like this (boys in general, if he were being honest with himself) wasn’t good. He probably doesn’t want Kurt looking at him in any way that wasn’t purely professional. Boys in Lima never do, much to Kurt’s endless disappointment.

“Hi,” he says when Kurt gets close enough. “My name is Blaine, and I think my boss called yesterday to see if you might have a set of tires that would fit this thing?”

Kurt looks around Blaine at the RV. It’s an old Fleetwood model, and they definitely do _not_ have those tires in stock normally. 

“Hey Dad!” Kurt calls out, walking over to the RV. Blaine turns and follows, standing next to Kurt as he crouched down to look at the tires currently on the truck. “Did someone call about these? I did the last inventory and I don’t think we have these.” Kurt stands to find Blaine kind of staring at him, but he looks away quickly as soon as Kurt notices. Boys staring at him never seem to lead to any experiences Kurt wants to have. 

“Is that the old Fleetwood?” Burt joins them, talking to Blaine. “Are you from the carnival?” 

Blaine takes a long second to answer since he was still looking at Kurt, and Kurt is finding this guy has gone from cute to remarkably irritating in almost record time. “Um, yeah,” Blaine says. “My boss said to just drop this off and you would have someone drive me back?” 

Burt nods. “Yeah, of course. Kurt? You wanna drive this gentleman where he needs to be?” Kurt twists his mouth in protest and looks at his dad. This leather jacketed teenager can hardly be called a gentleman. And he’s annoying.

“Are you sure? I mean no one else is in yet.” The carnival is setting up in an empty field on the other side of town and Kurt really doesn’t want to be stuck in a car for twenty minutes with someone who is making assumptions about him.

Burt shrugs. “Richie should be here in about ten minutes. And you can stop and get some real coffee on your way back.”

Kurt sighs. The temptation of real coffee pushes away any reservations Kurt has about driving Blaine anywhere, and he knows his dad knows that. Burt takes Blaine into the office to fill out some paperwork and Kurt follows so he could change out of his coveralls. He is not getting motor oil on his car seats if he can help it.

After hanging his coveralls on a hook in his locker, he takes a minute to freshen himself up in the mirror before going out. He enjoys working in the garage but Kurt Hummel isn’t going out not looking his best - or at least the best he can look under the circumstances. He’d expected to be in coveralls all day, and had dressed for it in a striped tank top and cutoff shorts that he’d hemmed cuffs on. He’s confident that he looks put together, but unfortunately he only has his work boots, so he slips his feet back into them and grabs his wallet and keys off of the locker shelf.

When Kurt walks back into the office, Blaine is bent over a clipboard, pen in hand. Blaine turns his head for just a second, eyes flicking to Kurt then back to the paper in front of him. Kurt might be imagining the pink tinge that rises on Blaine’s cheeks, but he doesn’t think so. It could mean anything.

“S-so, um,” Blaine stammers, and he is definitely sneaking glances at Kurt from under the curly mess over his forehead. “You said you should have it ready by Tuesday?” He sneaks another glance at Kurt - well, at Kurt’s _legs_ , and Kurt is once again curious about this attractive - if slightly annoying - boy.

Despite the absolute absence of any other out gay guys at his high school, Kurt isn’t completely without knowledge of what ‘interested’ looks like on another guy. It hadn’t happened often, but they have a couple of gay customers at the garage, and more than one had tossed a lingering glance in Kurt’s direction. In fact, when he was sixteen he went out for coffee with a guy who had managed to slip Kurt his number when his dad wasn’t looking, although it had turned out the guy was 28 and only in town for a couple of days. It had scared him shitless at the time, but with exactly no other opportunities since then, his eighteen year old self kind of wished he had taken the guy up on the offer of, well, something. 

“Yeah, Tuesday or Wednesday. Have someone call on Monday to make sure the tires have come in,” Burt says. “We’ll send someone over to pick you up.”

Blaine glances at Kurt again, dropping the pen as he hands it back to Burt, who chuckles. Kurt avoids looking at his dad. “That, um, that sounds great.”

Burt is starting to smirk, and Kurt can tell he needs to get out of there or his dad is going to do something to embarrass him. There had been a few awkward months when Kurt first came out to his dad during which they had to learn to re-navigate each other, but to Burt’s credit, once everything was out in the open between them Burt had shown himself quite capable of embarrassing Kurt with the same zeal he would have embraced if Kurt had liked girls instead of boys. Even if the opportunity to do so came rarely.

“So,” Kurt says brightly, clapping his hands together before his dad can start anything. “My car is parked on the side, if you’re ready?” He hitches a thumb in the direction of the door. Blaine seems to pull himself together and joins Kurt for the walk to his car.

“A Beetle?” Blaine asks, eyeing the car when they get there.

Kurt looks at his car. He knows the color name is Riviera Blue Metallic because after he and Burt were finished fixing it up they had to order the paint online to touch it up. Kurt loves his car.

“Is that a problem? Because you can walk back to the carnival grounds if you like.” Kurt isn’t really sure yet what to think of this guy, and sarcastic has always been his default setting.

Blaine looks worried. “Oh no! I didn’t mean – I just mean – it suits you, I guess.” Kurt not quite sure what to make of that, so he looks across the roof of the car at Blaine, who in turn throws Kurt a goofy grin and gets into the passenger seat.

Kurt starts up the car and pulls onto the road. “Well, my first car was a Navigator. A huge gas-guzzler that I had begged my dad for when I turned sixteen. Then I realized how much it was going to cost me to actually drive it anywhere and we sold it and bought this from one of the customers at the garage.” Kurt glances at Blaine. “It gets me around.” 

“Did your dad say something about picking up coffee?” Blaine asks, once they are both buckled in.

Kurt nods. “He did. The coffee at the garage is awful.”

“I don’t want to impose or anything, but if it’s on the way I would love to get some real coffee. The stuff we get on site is pretty terrible too.”

Kurt has a lot of sympathy for someone in need of their morning caffeine, even if that someone is a kinda cute, kinda irritating, boy with - Kurt glances at Blaine as he pulls out of the garage drive and onto the street - really very pretty eyes. 


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks into his summer job in a traveling carnival and Blaine is learning a few things about himself. Like, no matter how much he likes boys, he does not want to live in a broken recreational vehicle with three of them in the sweltering Ohio summer. And that he really prefers to shower every day, not every third day or “when we find a campground with water, Blaine.” The three days they had spent in a motel just the week earlier were in the running for the happiest three days of his life so far. At least the other guys he and Sam are sharing the RV with are cool. Nick and Jeff went to private school together, and had signed up for the job in order to spend some time on their own, away from their parents, during their last summer before college.

Blaine also learned that Sam hadn’t been wrong when he said there would be opportunities for him to get some experience of the sexual kind. First there had been Eddie, who had been working the popcorn cart the week they spent at the Fairfield County Fair. Blaine is pretty sure he was still in high school (even though he was taller than Blaine), but since all he wanted to do was kiss behind the Fun House Blaine didn’t think he was breaking any laws. He just hoped he hadn’t made too big a fool of himself during the kissing part. Eddie had seemed a lot more experienced than Blaine. 

Then there was Danny at the Erie County Fair. He was definitely older than Blaine (in his 20’s he’d said, but Blaine suspected he might have been older), with blonde hair that reminded him a little bit of Sam (and he didn’t want to think about that too hard) and a slightly southern twang, and he talked Blaine through his first hand job (both giving and receiving) and then his second and his third later in the week, before disappearing without a word. 

Just last week they were in Madison County, just the carnival with the rides and the midway, and no local animal sales or pig races or any of the extras that were around when they were booked with a county fair. He’d noticed Sebastian when he had shown up with a bunch of tickets where Blaine was manning the milk bottle ring toss. Sebastian had very pointedly looked Blaine up and down while tossing his rings and Blaine hadn’t been surprised to find Sebastian waiting for him in the parking lot after they closed up.

Sebastian invited Blaine into the back seat of his Range Rover and proceeded to pull Blaine’s shirt open, tug his pants around down his thighs and wrapped his lips around Blaine’s cock, not pulling off until Blaine had come down his throat. It had all happened so fast Blaine hadn’t had time to ask about a condom (not that he had one), even though he was pretty sure you were supposed to use them for oral sex too. But Sebastian hadn’t asked him to reciprocate, and had let Blaine jerk him off before he kissed him and tucked him back into his clothes and, almost even politely, sent Blaine on his way.

By the time they get to the Allen County Fair Blaine isn’t sure he can really handle any more nearly anonymous encounters. He needs a break. He doesn‘t regret any of the things he’s done, and had enjoyed all of the experiences while he was having them, but he didn’t really know those guys, and it all felt a little, well, empty. And that Sebastian guy kind of threw him off balance, if he’s being honest with himself. Maybe sex with a total stranger isn’t really for him. Blaine likes people, and he likes making real connections with them, and he can’t help but think that any of those experiences would have been a lot nicer with someone who actually liked him. Or even knew him a little.

Blaine has five weeks left with the carnival before he is scheduled to leave. He has freshman orientation in New York the weekend before Labor Day, and the last thing he wants is yet another casual fling, so when Kurt drops him off in the carnival parking lot, Blaine tells himself that it’s fine to just let him go. 

\--

“Rachel, why are we doing this? You don’t need a summer job and I can make more money at the garage in four days that I can doing this for two weeks.” Kurt brushes imaginary dirt off of his jeans as they walk away from the trailer that has been set up for all of the potential temporary carnival workers to fill out their applications. He doesn’t tell her that his dad also thought he should get out of the garage and do something different this summer, and that he promised to make up the wages he would have earned at the garage. Kurt suspects his dad of having an ulterior motive having to do with Blaine the probably straight RV driver, but he really doesn’t want to give his dad the satisfaction of acknowledging it.

“I know, Kurt. But we’re going to be moving to New York soon and we’re both going to be in very competitive drama programs and I just feel like we could both perhaps better form some more, um, _worldly_ experiences before we go off and start our journey to fame.”

“First of all Rachel, _you_ are moving to New York to attend a very competitive drama program. One that is so competitive, in fact, that I did not even make the cut. I will be staying right here in friendly Lima, Ohio dodging old classmates I was never friends with in the first place and changing tires in my dad’s garage, while I pick at the meagre arts program at Allen County Community College,” Kurt says, following her as she marches toward his car. Kurt sighs. “And, second, I have given up on the idea that I will meet anyone _like me_ here in Lima. I just need to get out of here.”

“I don’t know why you don’t just come with me now Kurt. You can get a job in New York,” Rachel rambles on as they get into the car. “There are definitely more young, attractive, interested boys in New York than there are here.”

Kurt shakes his head as he pulls his car out of its parking space and then out of the lot. He’d be happy to meet someone nice who liked him. It doesn’t seem that much to wish for.

“I can save a lot more money here, kick out a few credits and focus on my audition for the next semester without the distraction of being in New York,” he explains. “We’ve been over this. And you know I will be there in the spring. I’ve survived this long. I can hold out until January.”

Kurt glances at Rachel, her smile is a little bit sad. She knows how lonely he’s been, Lima not having a particularly large population of out gay teenage boys. It hadn’t bothered him at first. The idea of sex kind of scared him a little, and he didn’t seem to have the same uncontrollable hormones the other guys he went to school with talked about all the time.

That all changed about halfway through his junior year, when all those hormones finally caught up with him. Now he wakes up drilling a hole in his mattress more often than not, and has an embarrassing number of porn websites bookmarked. He’s very thankful his dad never bothered to learn how to do more than check his email. Until he leaves Ohio that’s all Kurt really has to keep himself _occupied_ , and he’s resigned to it having to be enough.

“I know you can Kurt.” Rachel’s smile falls a little. “But I don’t want to go alone. I want you to come with me.”

Kurt sighs, staring out at the road ahead. “Yeah, me too Rachel.”

Later that night when Kurt is in bed, staring at his ceiling and definitely not thinking about Ryan Gosling’s abs, Kurt thinks about what Rachel said. She is right in some ways. Surviving Lima, Ohio’s high school bully-culture was no small feat, but he can admit that neither he nor Rachel have a whole lot of experiences to call up outside of their own little insular world. Maybe she’s right. 

Kurt swipes his phone off of his nightstand and sends Rachel a text before turning out the light.

_OK Rach. Let’s be carnies._

His phone buzzes back about three minutes later, and he rolls over in the dark to read the text from Rachel. 

**Yay!**

\--

The carnival opens to the public on Thursday afternoon, so on Thursday morning Kurt and Rachel have a brief orientation, are given their two week schedule, and told where to pick up their daily comp tickets. Apparently along with their small salary all temp employees are entitled to five dollars worth of tickets good for any of the rides or games on days that they work.

Thursday evening in the ticket booth is brisk but not overwhelming, so they have time to get the hang of their very simple set of responsibilities. There is no admission to get into the carnival, but you need tickets for everything except food and drink. By the end of the night they’re both too tired to bother trying out any of the rides so they opt to go straight home to bed.

On Thursday, Kurt had overestimated the number of layers he would need to wear while sitting in a box selling tickets to rides all day. On Friday Kurt opts for a simple pair of white shorts and a pale blue cuffed short sleeved shirt, though he sticks to work boots because honestly it’s dusty out in the field where the carnival set up, and he really doesn’t want to go home with filthy feet. He smooths over his shirt and down the front of his shorts in the mirror, admiring his look for the day. It’s simple, but he looks good. Kurt sighs. He doesn’t imagine it will matter much to anyone else, but it always matters to him.

It turns out that selling tickets isn’t the worst job Kurt’s ever had. It’s a lot easier and much less greasy than working on cars all day, even if it pays considerably less, and he gets to gossip with Rachel all day long. It is definitely better than working in the food carts and having to serve pop and funnel cakes all day. Those poor losers have to fight the bees.

About an hour after the booth opens, Rachel is deep into rattling off the long list of Broadway shows she would be perfect for in the event of a revival, once she gets to New York of course, when he spots Blaine and a cute blonde guy Kurt hasn’t met walk by, obviously in conversation. Kurt is waiting for a family of five to decide if they want the all-day family pass with the extra food tickets or without, so he has time to watch the boys as they walk toward the staff tent while the kids work on convincing their parents. When Blaine finally notices Kurt, the shocked look on his face makes Kurt frown a little. When he shoots Kurt a little half wave Kurt feels a little like he’s been caught at something, but they keep walking and don’t come over, and he manages to twirl his fingers in there air in what he hopes passes for a hello gesture.

Kurt ignores the tiny flip of his stomach.

\--

The day is busy, and hot, but Kurt and Rachel settle into a rhythm and their shift goes by quickly. It’s not hard work, and the ticket booth provides Kurt with some shade from the sun so he tries not to worry too much about what’s happening to his skin while still reapplying sunscreen every ninety minutes like clockwork. After their shift, though, Rachel is insistent on exploring the carnival as attendees. 

“Come on Kurt, we’re working in a carnival! We have to go on some rides!”

“I have to say Rachel I really had no idea you were such a fan of imminent death,” Kurt teases. Their shift ends at six and the carnival closes at eleven on Friday and Saturday, so they have some time to squeeze in some fun. Maybe if Rachel gets it out of her system now she’ll stop talking about it.

They ride the Tilt a Whirl, the Vortex and the Scrambler, and Kurt doesn’t even mind admitting that it’s fun and he’s having a good time. But after that they’re both hungry and ready for something a little calmer.

“Let’s do something a little slower before we try to eat anything,” Rachel says, clutching at her stomach tenderly.

“That’s fine. How about the Ferris Wheel then? I think we’re almost out of our comp tickets for the day anyway. We can go do that and then head over to the food stands. ”

They stand in the short line for the Ferris Wheel and when they get to the front Kurt notices that Blaine is running the controls while another boy is securing passengers into their cars. Kurt smiles what he hopes is a friendly smile, and tries to ignore Rachel poking at his side as their car starts to move. 

“Do you know that guy?” Rachel asks, once the car starts to move forward.

“Yeah, he came by the garage a couple of days ago. Why?” Kurt asks. He’s trying hard not to blush, but he can feel his face flushing and hopes Rachel doesn’t notice in the twilight.

“He was totally checking you out.” Rachel smirks and wiggles her eyebrows. “And by you I definitely mean your ass.”

Kurt sighs, tolerating her over-investment in his non-existent love life. “I’m sure it was nothing Rachel. He’s probably straight and angry that I’ve infiltrated his domain.” Kurt wonders again if Blaine might be gay, but he really doesn’t want to encourage Rachel.

“I don’t think it was like that.” Rachel clucks in a knowing way - a habit she had that Kurt always finds irritating. “He’s cute Kurt. You should go talk to him when we get off.”

Kurt rolls his eyes. He really doesn’t need this from her. “He’s working Rachel, I’m sure he’s busy,” he says. And it doesn’t matter anyway. When they get to the end of the ride there’s another guy Kurt doesn’t recognize at the controls when they can get to the bottom. 

Later, when they walk back to Rachel’s car (it was her turn to drive today) Kurt notices one of the other guys - one he had definitely seen working on the rides - stumble out of a car only a few rows away, the sound of female giggles following him onto the pavement. His shirt is riding up, and Kurt blushes and turns away when he realizes the guy is zipping up his jeans, but the guy doesn’t seem to notice them, or he doesn’t care. When he and Rachel reach her car Kurt hears a tittered ‘good night’ from the girl before he pulls the door shut. Rachel acts as if she didn’t even notice. Maybe she didn’t. She can be pretty self absorbed.

\--

By the time Blaine hauls himself out of his tiny bed in the camper the next morning he’s already thinking about Kurt. He’d been surprised to see Kurt working in the ticket booth, and couldn’t help wondering if maybe he had gotten the job at the carnival so he could be near Blaine, but he shook that thought out of his head as soon as it landed. That was ridiculous. Kurt hadn’t seemed like the kind of boy who would be chasing after someone like Blaine, or at least not someone like Blaine was pretending to be. But Blaine can’t seem to stop from thinking that Kurt was someone he’d like to get to know a little better.

 _Maybe under completely different circumstances_ , he thinks to himself while he checks in with the day supervisor.

Still. Something about Kurt set him apart from the other guys he’d hooked up with so far. He dressed nicely, too nicely for the job they were doing. He was only wearing shorts and a simple short sleeved, button down shirt, but definitely noticed the way the cuffed sleeves fit snugly around Kurt’s biceps. And the ascot. It was 94 degrees in the Ohio heat and Kurt still tied a scarf around his neck, and looked gorgeous doing it. Even his hair stayed perfect. Blaine blinked away the flashing image of getting his mouth on whatever Kurt was covering up. 

Blaine misses his own wardrobe. His fitted jeans and colorful chinos. Polo shirts without stains in the armpits. His bow ties. Blaine doesn’t even want to think about what his hair looks like lately. It was hard to tame when he was diligent about it, and he normally used gel or something to keep it under control, but after the first week of weak showers in the RV (or no showers at all if they were really unlucky) he’d gave up and just focused on not letting it get completely out of control. Now six weeks into the summer it looks like something you’d glue onto marionettes for an all puppet production of Jesus Christ Superstar. 

It’s probably for the best not to say anything to Kurt at all. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to honeysucklepink for the beta! I did make some changes after so please blame me for any dangling participles.

On Saturday after their shift Kurt and Rachel decide to work their way through the assortment of midway games, but today decide to go to the food stands first. Kurt has mostly managed to avoid eating from the not so varied selection of fried food on offer at the carnival, but as they walk by the stands offering corn dogs, French fries, fried pickles and three different varieties of fried dough, his willpower is starting to wobble. He’s only human.

"French fries, Rachel," Kurt insists.

"Ooh, but funnel cakes Kurt." Rachel is on her toes, peeking into the display counter. "Powdered sugar Kurt!"

"Make sure you get it with extra fairy dust," a gruff voice says behind them.

They both turn to see who spoke, even though Kurt can identify the owner of that voice in his nightmares.

"Do you want something, David?" Kurt arches an eyebrow. David Karofsky made several of his high school years unbearable, until Kurt discovered just how troubled Dave was. After that it had mostly died down to verbal taunts when he was showing off in front of friends, but stayed away from him anyway. But high school was over, they really had no reason to cross each other’s paths.

Kurt looks between the two other guys, football players he barely remembers the names of only a few weeks after graduation. He congratulates himself for a moment on how quickly he’s moved on.

"We would like to eat our food without the threat of contamigay-tion. That's what." It isn’t Dave, but one of the other boys hurling insults now. Kurt rolled his eyes, catching Karofsky’s and he shakes his head as David looks away.

"You know you could both just buzz off," Rachel suggests, stepping forward in all of her five foot tall glory. "We're not in high school anymore, we don't have to interact at all." She crosses her arms with a smug nod and turns toward the food cart next to her.

Kurt frowns as David continues to scowl at them. He looks like he’s going to bounce out of his skin. 

"Dave, are you alright?" Kurt asks. He can’t stop himself. He knows what Dave is going through.

Dave just shakes his head jerkily. "Let's just get out of here," he says to his friends.

"Fine." The third boy gets into Kurt's face to say this, shoving him hard in the shoulder. It doesn't hurt, but he loses his balance and falls on the ground. 

Kurt starts to yell at him, but a blur of arms and legs appears from nowhere and tackles the guy, sending them both to the ground. All hell breaks loose, and one of the guys lifts the blur up off the ground and Dave swings at him, connecting his right fist with the side of the blur’s face. Kurt scrambles up, pushing to get in between the blur and Dave, and he can hear Rachel shouting for help, but he doesn’t see her anywhere.

In what seems like minutes but is probably less than thirty seconds they are surrounded by a half dozen carnival workers of assorted shapes and sizes, at least one of them with what looks like a sawed off baseball bat with a chain wrapped around it. Kurt silently prays to any deity who might listen to him that no one has a gun.

The first guy shoves the blur into Kurt, and Kurt catches him, wrapping his arms around the blur reflexively, and realizes that it’s Blaine. Cute, curly haired, hopefully gay Blaine had come to his rescue. Kurt didn’t swoon at all. At least he didn’t let anyone see him do it.

"Sam, get him to first aid." An older guy with a walrus mustache turns to Kurt after giving the instruction. Kurt thinks the guy’s name is Larry, but he’s not sure. The guy Kurt saw with Blaine the other morning, and who he’s seen around working on the rides, throws his arm around Blaine’s shoulder and heads in the direction of the First Aid tent.

"Did you see what happened?" Larry asks Kurt.

"Yes we did," Rachel says, pushing to stand in front of the mustache. "David and his idiot friends were hassling Kurt, and when they pushed him over that young man rushed over to help." She points at Karofsky. "Then his friend held him up while David hit him."

Larry looks from Rachel to Kurt. "Did he hit you?”

Kurt shakes his head. "No, he just pushed me and I fell." He rubs at his elbow where it had hit the dirt. “I lost my balance. It probably looked worse than it was.” 

"I'd like to take Kurt to the first aid tent as well." Rachel interrupts. "He needs to wash out that scrape." She points to his elbow, which to Kurt’s surprise is bleeding a little from the fall..

Larry nods, then levels a look at Karofsky and his friends. "And you three. We'll be escorting you out. If I see any of you back here we’ll call the police."

Kurt walks off with Rachel, barely hearing Karofsky and his friends protest their banishment. Rachel whispering into his ear as they go.

“Kurt that was the guy from the ferris wheel! The one that tackled Dave’s meaty friend.” Rachel looked at him curiously. “That was very risky of him, he’s not a very big person. Exactly how well do you know him?”

“Not at all Rachel, he came into the garage, like I told you. That was it.” Kurt takes a breath, “I do know his name is Blaine.” 

“His name is Blaine.” Rachel throws him an accusing look as she leads him into the first aid tent. “Kurt Hummel, have you been holding out on me?” 

The tent isn’t big, but there are a few exam tables and some square folding card tables and chairs, and two nurses that Kurt can see. He imagines that there are probably enough carnival ride injuries to justify real nurses. Blaine is sitting upright on an exam table on the far side of the tent holding what looks like an ice pack to the side of his face.

“No I have not been holding out on you. He dropped a trailer off at the garage the other day. I had to drive him back here. We exchanged names.” Kurt pauses. “He like a medium drip, one Splenda, 2% milk.”

“You have a lot of explaining to do when we leave here,” she barely stage whispers. Kurt is sure the entire tent can hear her. “Excuse me,” Rachel turns and addresses one of the nurses on duty. “My friend was involved in the altercation that took place over on the midway. He needs medical attention.”

“I’m fine Rachel, really.” Kurt turns to the nurse. “I just scraped my elbow, really it’s nothing. If I could just wash the dirt out and clean it a bit I’ll be fine.” He swallows, ticking his head in the general direction of where Blaine’s cute friend is helping Blaine get comfortable on a cot in the corner. “Besides, you have your hands full already.” He looks in their direction and offers what he hopes is a friendly smile.

Blonde Cutie does notice them, and walks to where Kurt and Rachel are standing while the nurse fusses over Kurt’s elbow. 

“Hey man, are you okay? Blaine said that guy knocked you over. I’m Sam.” He sticks out his hand. “You’re locals, right? I think I saw you in the ticket booth before.”

Rachel shakes Sam’s hand. “Rachel Berry. And this is Kurt.” She waves a hand across Kurt’s airspace. “We are local hires, yes. Just working the two weeks.” She looks over at Blaine and back to Sam. “But you guys aren’t from around here, are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

“Nah,” Sam says. “We’re full summer hires. This is my second year, actually.” He gestures over to his friend. “It’s Blaine’s first year, though. I think he missed the lecture where they said don’t tackle the guests.” Sam laughs, his eyes darting good naturedly between Kurt and Rachel.

Rachel seems like she has the telling of their life stories under control, so after the nurse finishes with him he wanders closer to Blaine.

“Hey,” he says. He tries to catch Blaine’s eye, but Blaine keeps staring at his feet. “Are you alright?”

Blaine’s eyes dart to Kurt’s for a second and he nods. “Yeah, he didn’t hit me that hard.”

Kurt coughs out a chuckle. “I think that ice pack on your face suggests otherwise.”

“At least he didn’t break my nose this time,” Blaine mumbles.

“He broke your nose before?” Kurt asks, wide eyed.

“What? Oh no, someone else broke it,” Blaine lisps through his very swollen lower lip. “It was years ago. It doesn’t matter now.” Blaine looks up at Kurt for the first time since Kurt arrived at the first aid tent. He drops the ice pack away from his cheek. “How are you? Did you get hurt?”

Kurt shakes his head. “Not really, no,” he answers, holding up his elbow so Blaine can see the bandage. “Scraped my elbow on the ground. I’m fine.” Kurt takes a step closer, taking the ice pack from Blaine. He holds it against Blaine’s cheek, giving Blaine the chance to warm his hand on his thigh, rubbing it on his jeans. Kurt holds his breath a little when Blaine looks at him. “You didn’t have to do that you know,” Kurt says, lowering his voice. “They wouldn’t have hurt me.”

“You don’t know that. They knocked you over.” Blaine swallows, hesitating just a bit before he goes on. “I heard what they were saying to you. You shouldn’t have to put up with that. No one should.” Blaine looks away again, and Kurt wishes he wouldn’t. 

“No. No one should,” Kurt agrees. “But David, he has his own problems. It doesn’t excuse him. But it wouldn’t have gone further.” Kurt shakes his head again, more to reassure himself than Blaine. “And it doesn’t matter anyway. High school is over, he’ll go off on some football scholarship and I’ll never have to deal with -”

“Kurt if you’re feeling better we should probably get going,” Rachel interrupts. “My dads are expecting me for a Barbra marathon tonight.” Her eyes go wide when she finally notices that Kurt is holding an ice pack on Blaine’s cheek. “Or, I could just call them to pick me up if you need to stick around here?” She’s beaming at him in a crazy way that Kurt doesn’t really trust. He loves her, but she is irritatingly over-involved in his life. That’s all about to change, too, he thinks, with her leaving and him staying here in Ohio. He’ll miss it eventually, he knows, but not enough to encourage it right now. 

“No, no, Rachel. I need to get home too,” Kurt says quickly, returning the ice pack to Blaine, shuddering involuntarily when Blaine’s fingers trail across his in the exchange. He ignores it. “But I did want to say thank you, Blaine, for being willing to stand up for me, even if it wasn’t necessary. I don’t get that very often outside of my family and a few friends. So thanks. I’m sorry he hit you.” Kurt tries a sympathetic smile, but inside he’s tied in knots.

“You’re welcome,” Blaine says quietly, and he looks up at Kurt, and Kurt is caught off-balance by the depth of feeling directed at him from Blaine’s eyes. Then he blinks and it’s gone, and Kurt steps away.

“See you around,” Kurt says, his voice coming out quieter than he expects.

\--

"He likes you," Rachel says, as they are walking through the parking lot on the way to Kurt's car. "And he’s totally gay. You should tap that."

"Oh my god Rachel, please never say 'tap that' again." Kurt rolls his eyes. He decides to keep the inclination he has to agree with her to himself, at least for now. “And how do you know that?”

"Sam told me. And why not Kurt? He's cute, and he likes you, and he got punched in the face trying to protect you!" Her voice rises higher as she ticked off each reason Kurt should throw himself at this adorable stranger. 

“ _Sam_ told you? Rachel you didn’t -”

“Oh of course I did, silly, you’d be staring at each other across the corn dog cart and do nothing about it if not for my intervention.” Rachel softens as she continues. "And wouldn't it be nice to spend some time with a guy who likes you? At least for a little while. Who knows, maybe you can write a musical about your ill fated summer romance after he leaves! I of course can play myself!” She claps her hands together excitedly. “This is so exciting!”

Kurt chews on his bottom lip. This can’t really be happening, can it? Although it does make perfect sense that the only cute, interested gay guy he will ever meet in Ohio is essentially a transient Kurt will never see again after a week.

In Kurt’s fantasies about his future, he always imagined that his inevitable prince charming would be wearing designer suits and offering expensive flowers and taking him out to even more expensive meals. And possibly also buying him gifts, or spa weekends. Or maybe Kurt would get really lucky and make it on Broadway and he would get to be the prince charming. 

It had never crossed his mind that when he finally met someone it might just be another teenage boy. Or that he’d be wearing ripped jeans and a very tight t-shirt and have a mop of unruly curls on top of his head. Or that when they met he’d have a busted lip and a once broken nose. And oh my god, what if he broke it regularly in parking lot brawls? That was not the sort of guy Kurt Hummel would date. Right? It didn't matter what gorgeous shade of hazel his eyes were. 

"First of all Rachel I do not need protecting and you know it." He tosses a glare in her direction for good measure, as much to steady himself as to stop her from commenting. "Karofsky wouldn't do anything to me."

"Maybe not Kurt, but his friends are less predictable. You did end up on the ground."

"It wouldn't have escalated." Kurt was less sure about that, but since it hadn’t gone too far, he didn’t want to think about it. Once they are in the car and bucked up, Kurt starts the car, but looks at Rachel before he puts it in gear. "And I don't know if I could date a guy like that."

Rachel looks puzzled. "Like what?"

Kurt's shoulder twitches. "You know, one who gets into fights."

"You don't have to marry him Kurt. I'm not even sure you need to ask him his last name."

They stopped at a red light and Kurt turns to look at her. 

"I don't know if I could use someone like that Rachel." The light turns green and Kurt accelerates through the quiet intersection. "I really hope I'm not that desperate," he mumbles. Sometimes he felt that desperate. What if he never gets out? What if New York rejects him before he even gets started? He might be that desperate right now.

"I know you're not desperate Kurt." She sounds a little condescending for Kurt’s mood, but he lets it go. It’s been a long day. "But it's your last summer in Ohio. Probably ever, and-"

"Don't jinx me."

"-I know you're worried about not having experienced, things, and at the very least, I think, maybe--" Kurt turns the car into her driveway and she doesn't finish that sentence.

"Think about it Kurt." She leans over and kisses him on the cheek. "He might turn out to be a nice guy."

Kurt frowns. "While as usual I object to your overactive interest in my lack of romantic affairs, I promise you that I will think about what you said." 

Rachel almost squeals, patting him on the knee. "That is all I ask Kurt." And with that she hops out of the car and bounds up the steps to her front door, disappearing behind it with a wave.

Kurt sighs, the sound loud in the now silent car. Blaine is certainly cute, and charming in a boyish ruffian way that Kurt is not immune to. He doesn’t seem to be immune to his smile either, despite the split lip and slight purplish tint to his left cheek. 

He supposes he could use the practice. He’s never even talked to a guy with any real possibility that something might blossom. He didn't have to do anything. Flirting with a guy who liked him would be more that he'd expected to get out of his last summer in Ohio. It was only for another week, right? How much trouble could he get into in a week? 

\--

The next day Blaine stops by the ticket booth at least a half dozen times in the morning to talk to Kurt and Rachel; unfortunately Rachel is always there so he can’t get Kurt alone. Not that he has any idea what he would say if he did. He can’t exactly ditch his job and pull Kurt behind the cotton candy stand. So sometimes he only says hello on his way somewhere else, other times he tries to engage Kurt in conversation, asking him about what he had for lunch or if he has a favorite midway game, and if it might be the water gun balloons because Blaine would be there all day working the game if Kurt wanted to stop by and play a game or two. 

He then spends the entire afternoon looking for Kurt in the crowds of people wandering up and down the midway. Weekends are usually crowded, and today is no different. Families, eager to take small children somewhere where they can run around in relative safety and not get into too much trouble and teenagers on first dates in the safety of the daytime. Blaine was sure Kurt would come by and visit, but when two o’clock comes and goes with no sign of him he thinks maybe his invite hadn’t been obvious enough.

Blaine’s lip is still sore but mostly healed; at least he’s stopped licking at it. He does still have a pretty good-sized purple blotch covering the left side of his face. Maybe it’s better Kurt doesn't show up while Blaine still looks like he lost at last night’s fight club.

He’s just about given up on seeing Kurt when three kids and what could be an aunt or a babysitter, but who looks too young to be a parent, set tickets on the ledge and pick their positions at the water pistols. Carnival rules generally want there to be at least five players every time they run the contest, and Blaine is supposed to wait a few minutes even when he has paying players in case someone wants to join in, so he adjusts the balloons in each of the clown-head targets to delay the start when someone clears their throat behind him.

“Do you have room for one more?” Kurt is holding up a ticket, a small smile tugging at his mouth. Blaine takes two steps toward him, unable to stop the grin that splits his face as he takes the ticket from Kurt’s fingers.

“Sure.” He winces a little. “ _Ow_.”

“Oh no, don’t hurt yourself on my account.” Kurt smirks at him and picks up a free water gun. “At least not any more than you already have.”

“Yeah right.” Blaine gets the attention of everyone waiting. “Everyone ready? When I ring the bell you can start. First balloon to pop wins a prize.”

Blaine waits until everyone assumes a ready position then rings the start bell. He’s supposed to watch all the players, but he only has eyes for Kurt. The way he twists his face up in concentration, the tip of his tongue sticking out and wiggling just a bit, closing one eye to take aim. Blaine can’t help rooting for him to win. He looks adorable.

It isn’t quite a minute before the balloon pops in front of one of the girls. She squeals through the drone of disappointed noises and Blaine goes into his brief spiel about what prizes she can pick from, but he’s half watching Kurt out of the corner of one eye the whole time. The girl picks a barely recognizable stuffed anime character and then everyone disperses.

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine notices that Kurt’s waiting for him, but before he turns around he pulls a step ladder over and climbs so he can reach the top shelf, where they keep the high quality stuffed animals, the ones that aren’t strange knockoffs of ten year old cartoon characters, the ones they never actually give away, and plucks the nicest one - an impressively sized giraffe – and holds it out for Kurt.

“What’s this?” Kurt smiles and takes the giraffe. Blaine shrugs, hoping he hasn’t just made a huge mistake.

“Uh, second place?” He tries not to cringe when he says it. He feels painfully obvious. Apparently making out with a few strangers hasn’t made him less awkward with guys. He lucks out though, and Kurt laughs at that.

“I didn’t know there was a prize for second place.”

Blaine thinks he can hear a gentle tease in Kurt’s voice, so he leans over the game’s counter, resting on his forearms so he can get a little closer to Kurt. Kurt’s a little taller than he is, so he doesn’t mind the new angle so much.

“Well if there was I’m sure you would have won,” Blaine answers. Kurt’s cheeks go pink, and Blaine likes it. A lot.

Kurt opens his mouth a few times, not saying anything before looking at his shoes. “I really should get back,” he finally says. “My break is probably over.”

Blaine nods. “Okay,” he says. “Maybe I’ll stop by later.” He winks at Kurt, and feels really lucky when Kurt blushes again. Blaine is smitten.

\--

“So?” Rachel is giving him her most encouraging look. 

Kurt shrugs. He really doesn’t want to tell Rachel too much. The last thing he needs is Rachel trying to intervene out of some misguided sense that she’s doing Kurt a favor.

“He’s nice, I guess.” He holds his large prize out and shakes it in front of her. “He gave me a giraffe.”

Rachel’s eyes get huge. “He gave you a giraffe? I don’t understand, you didn’t win it?”

Kurt bites his lip and slides into his seat in the little ticket booth, settling the giraffe behind him. He doesn’t answer right away, and his avoidance is aided by a busload of people who all want to buy ride tickets at the same time. 

“Nope,” he says, once the crowd had moved on. “I definitely did not win a prize. He just gave it to me.”

Rachel looks at him, nodding with a knowing smile that makes Kurt a little uncomfortable.

“What?” He says, even though he’s pretty sure he knows what she’s thinking.

“You’re going to go for it, right?”

Kurt scoffs, but he can feel an embarrassed flush creep up his neck and he curses his pale skin. Not for the first time. He hopes the bit of color he’s picked up from being out in the sun for a week keeps her from noticing.

“I don’t know Rach,” he answers. But he kind of does know. There is something about Blaine. “Where could it go?” Kurt can’t even tell anymore why he’s trying to talk himself out of it.

Rachel tuts, rolling her eyes. “Come on Kurt, a whirlwind summer romance could be _amazing_ for you! And he’s adorable. If he liked girls at all I’d definitely go for it”

Thankfully, they are interrupted by another group looking to buy tickets before she can continue.

“You’re insane,” Kurt says when the line has disappeared.

Rachel grins and wiggles her eyebrows. “You won’t think I’m insane when he’s got his tongue in your -”

Kurt puts his hand up in front of Rachel’s face, prepared to cover her mouth if necessary to keep her from continuing. “Stop right there. We are not having this discussion.” Kurt glares at her. “Ever.” Rachel giggles and pinches his arm.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still T, but things appear to be heating up...
> 
> thanks to honeysucklepink as always for the quick beta

It turns out that the carnival business is slow on most weekdays, even in the summer, so they’re closed on Monday and only open for the evening hours on Tuesday, and Kurt doesn’t have to work on either day. He’s grateful for the break - from the dirt, from Rachel and her meddling (and her constant chattering about New York); from the french fries and the fried pickles and even, just a little bit, from Blaine. 

It is exhausting wondering if someone _likes_ you, and all the wondering what you’re supposed to do about it doesn’t help. And what if you like _them_? What are you supposed to do about _that?_ It’s especially exhausting when at the ripe old age of 18 no one has ever actually liked you ever. Not that way. 

“How are things?” His dad asks him over coffee, bowls of oatmeal, and cut up fruit for breakfast.

Kurt makes a non committal shrug of his shoulder and puts down his coffee mug. He’s been keeping long hours at the carnival and Kurt hasn’t really had a chance to give Burt details about what the job was like or even what had happened with Karofsky, so he fills him in. He tries to offhandedly mention how Blaine had gotten in the middle of all of it, and had wound up with a black eye for his trouble, but Kurt can tell by the look on Burt’s face that rather than brush over that detail he’s managed to pique his dad’s curiosity. Kurt doesn’t tell him about the giraffe.

“Has he come back? Karofsky?” Burt asks. 

Kurt shakes his head quickly. “No, not once. And the site manager said that he’s not allowed back and they’ll remove him if he shows. Or call the police.” Kurt takes a bite of oatmeal, swallowing quickly. “His neanderthal friends, too.”

Burt took a few seconds, his mouth twisted in a thoughtful expression and Kurt could tell he was contemplating having to get involved in some way. Burt cleared his throat. “So. You see much of that Blaine kid?”

Kurt blinked owlishly at his dad, carefully not avoiding his eyes. “Um, now and then.” Burt looked like he was waiting for Kurt to go on. “But not that much. You know, since he has to work, and I have to work.” Kurt was nodding his head so wildly he was sure he looked like a bobble head doll. “And we’re both working.” Kurt winced, _mostly_ on the inside. 

“He seemed like a nice kid.” Kurt wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he shoved a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. “Hey if you’re not all worn out from your fancy outdoor job you wanna come in tomorrow? Oil changes are backed up, and we’re expecting the tires to come in today for that RV your friend brought in -“

“Dad he’s not my fr -“ Kurt starts to interrupt, but he can see his dad fighting to keep the corners of his mouth from turning into a smile. “I hate you.”

Burt huffs a laugh. “If you say so.”

“I don’t even know him, Dad. And he’s only in Lima for two weeks anyway, so it’s best just not to get involved at all. And I’ve never even dated anyone before!” Kurt slaps his hand over his mouth. That was more than he intended to say.

“I hate to make assumptions,” Burt says. “You’ve taught me that, but it seems like he, might, you know, be a kindred spirit.” Burt gestures a little awkwardly with his fork. “And I would never, ever, suggest you do anything or spend time with someone if you don’t like them. But,” Kurt looks at his dad and his expression becomes softer. “Kurt. You don’t know a lot of other gay kids -”

“I don’t know _any_ gay kids dad. Not any that are out to me, anyway.” 

“Okay, any.” Burt shrugs. “He seemed like a nice kid, is all I’m saying. You might have fun just hanging out with him. Even if it’s just to eat corn dogs and compare notes.” Burt stands up, taking both his and Kurt’s bowls to the kitchen. “But you do what you think is best for you, Kurt. You know I trust your judgment.”

Kurt smiles, a little sadly. There’s never even been any occasion for Kurt to give him a reason not to, which only gives Kurt a tiny feeling of regret. His rebellions had all been about things his dad had fully supported, whether it was his unique sense of fashion or singing girl songs in Glee Club. “I know Dad. And I’ll come in to the garage tomorrow. It’s actually more fun than sitting in a hot booth with Rachel for six hours, gossiping about every person in Allen County.” Kurt fakes a shudder.

Burt pats Kurt on the shoulder as he heads out. “I don’t believe for a minute you actually think that, son.”

Kurt spends the morning plotting a healthy meal plan for the two of them for the next two weeks, making a shopping list and sticking it on the fridge for his dad. He’ll be making up for the terrible eating he’s done lately with a lot of green vegetables, no matter how much his dad complains.

He picks out some outfits for the week; some Tommy Hilfiger shorts that look nice but aren’t too nice to get dirty (because the dirt and grime and dust of a carnival in the Ohio summer is apparently not avoidable if you have to be there all day), and a pair of jean cutoff shorts that possibly might make his ass look great. Maybe. Not that that was a contributing factor. He doesn’t want to look like he cares too much, but he does hate to look like he doesn’t care at all. It’s a fine balance and carnival-chic is a new challenge. Not that he’s trying to impress anyone. Not really. He wants to go with a sleeveless tee he has, but he’s outdoors far too long for that, so he plucks out a few short sleeved shirts that make him look more muscular than he is, and a t-shirt from the _Rent_ revival he saw in Columbus the year before.

When he gets to the garage on Tuesday there is oil to change and tires to rotate, like Burt promised. The Fleetwood RV that Blaine drove into the garage just a week ago is up on a riser, its old tires missing in anticipation of the new set. Burt is on the phone when Kurt walks into the office.

“Yeah, it took a couple extra days for the tires to get here,” Kurt hears Burt tell whoever is on the other end of the phone. “But we should have them all on by the end of the day today….yeah, no problem...we can send someone over to pick up a driver if you want...whatever works best for you...I’ll call to confirm the time...thanks.”

“Problems?” Kurt asks when Burt hangs up. 

“Nah. Tires just came in this morning so I told them we wouldn’t have it ready for pickup until close. I offered to bring it over tomorrow, but they’ve been sleeping the crew in three campers instead of four, and they’re going a little stir crazy, so they’d like to have it tonight, so they might just send someone over later.”

“Probably smells like a locker room you live in. What a horrible thought.” Locker rooms had never exactly been friendly to Kurt. He might like boys, but boys in packs? That didn’t bode well for anyone. “I can drive it over later,, if you think it’ll be ready by then?”

“You’d have no way to get home from there. Nah, we’ll figure it out. I’ve got plenty of other work for you today.”

Kurt tries not to feel disappointed at the idea that he won’t be picking Blaine up and spending twenty minutes alone in the car with him. And then he tries not to panic at the thought of being alone in the car with Blaine for twenty minutes. What would he say? Would they have anything to talk about? Maybe they weren’t supposed to talk. Maybe they were just supposed to get comfortable enough with each other to crawl into the back seat of Kurt’s Beetle and make out. And honestly, how would the two of them fit back there? Blaine was small, but Kurt’s legs would never fit back there. He’d wind up on his back with his ankles dangling over the front seat and - 

“Kurt?” Kurt blinks rapidly to see Burt waving a hand in front of his face. “You all right?”

“What? Oh. Yes. Fine. I’m fine.” Kurt plasters on a smile for his dad. “Just thinking about something ridiculous Rachel said the other day.” 

“Is she still bugging you about going to New York with her before you get accepted anywhere?”

Kurt shrugged affirmatively. She actually hadn’t mentioned it in a while, but it was the easiest answer to give. 

“If you want, we can talk about it.”

“Thanks Dad. Maybe later. All this oil won’t change itself,” Kurt says with a chuckle. “I’d better get to it.”

Eight hours later Kurt is tired, sweaty, and ready to go home. He’d accidentally kicked the oil pan while doing one of the oil changes, and oil had splattered all over his left leg. He may have to abandon his boots. Thankfully he’d worn his work boots and not his favorite Dr. Martens. 

It’s almost time to close the shop, and the rest of the guys are in the back room getting their things together, so he heads into the office where his dad is finishing up some paperwork. He knows the RV is ready to go - he saw Randy take it out to test the new tires about an hour earlier, but he pointedly did not ask his dad about it. 

Kurt leans halfway through the door. “Ready to go soon?”

“Oh hey Kurt,” Burt says, looking up. “Actually Carole called a few minutes ago looking for someone to have dinner with.” Burt’s only nervous tic was scratching behind his ear, and he was doing it now. He’d been dating Carole on and off for about a year, which is fine with Kurt - Carole is a lovely woman. Kurt had had a crush on her son once upon a time, but he’d gotten over it when Finn started dating Rachel and he got to know him better. But Kurt does like Carole, and he wants his dad to be happy just as much as his dad wants him to be happy. Kurt doesn’t like the idea of leaving Ohio one day and his dad having no one.

“Oh, okay. Did you want me to close up so you can get home and get cleaned up?” Kurt offers. “I don’t have anywhere to be.”

“About that,” Burt starts, looking a little guilty. “The carnival manager called about an hour ago and said they were quiet enough they could send someone over. They should be here soon. The rest of the guys are already on their way out, would you mind hanging around until they show up?”

“Oh.” Kurt stands straight up, his brain snapping his body to attention. “Um, sure. I can be here.”

“Thanks Kurt,” Burt slaps him on the shoulder as he moved to head out the door. “They didn’t say who was coming, so I don’t know -”

“Oh, oh no Dad,” Kurt says quickly. “It’s fine. Great. No problem.” He waves a hand in front of him, stopping Burt from going on. “I’ll just get cleaned up and hang out until someone shows up. I know who most of the guys are anyway so it’s fine. No problem,” he says again.

“Good. Thanks.” Burt points to a folder on the desk. “Just have whoever picks it up sign the receipt - you know the drill. They took care of payment over the phone.” 

“Go, Dad. I got it.” Kurt pushes Burt out the door. “Have fun! Say hi to Carole for me.”

Once his dad leaves he heads back to the office. The other mechanic on shift waves goodbye to Kurt on his way out, and Kurt follows him so he can lock the door behind him. They’re officially closed, but they have a buzzer outside for late pickups since it does happen now and then. 

Kurt is just turning the lock when he sees a taxi pull up in front of the garage. His heartbeat picks up just a little in anticipation, then he shakes his head.

“Get it together Hummel,” he says to a wall of hubcaps. He sees the passenger climbs out, and it’s Blaine. Kurt bites his lip. He watches Blaine bound up the walkway and unlocks the door when he gets closer. He really doesn’t have to be nervous, right? There’s nothing happening, He’s just a cute guy. A cute gay guy. Who flirts.

“Hi Kurt,” Blaine says brightly when Kurt opens the door. “You’re here.” He sounds surprised.

“You were expecting Prince Charming?” It’s out of his mouth before he can stop it. Kurt feels like he’s turning red from his ears to his toes, but he can’t stop that either. “Shrek!” He blurts out, before Blaine can react. He steps out of the way so Blaine can come in.

Blaine looks momentarily confused, but he’s got a pleased smile on his face. “Shrek?” 

“Yeah. Rachel and I watch it when life sucks and we need something stupid to make us laugh.” Kurt chuckles awkwardly and leads Blaine toward the office. Maybe he can get through this quickly and then hide in his bedroom until the carnival leaves town.

“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely a favorite,” Blaine agrees. “We have a copy in the RV for when we get bored.”

When they get to the office Kurt steps behind the desk, locating the receipts for Blaine to sign, and turns around to find the right set of keys on the pegboard. He takes a deep breath when his back is to Blaine. This is going way too fast. He really doesn’t just want to give Blaine the keys and have him go away. 

“So the mechanic took it for a drive this afternoon once the new tires were on, but you should probably take it for a drive around the block before you head out onto the road. It might drive differently on the new tires, and you should at least have a feel for it before you get out into traffic. If you’ve got time, I mean.”

“Oh, okay. I’ve got time for that,” Blaine says. 

Kurt holds out the keys to Blaine and as Blaine takes them out of his hand Kurt realizes that he never had a chance to clean up and he is still filthy from the day changing oil. This is the worst day of his life. He pulls his hand back.

“Oh god, I’m covered in motor oil.”

Blaine shrugs. “I’m usually covered in machine oil. It’s an occupational hazard.” He grins at Kurt. “Besides, you look cute in your jumpsuit.” 

Kurt opens his mouth to object - because he looks anything but cute - but it just goes slack when he registers that Blaine just told him he looked cute. 

“I wouldn’t ask,” Kurt starts, fumbling. “But Rachel said - are you gay?”

Blaine bites his lip and looks away for a second. “I thought I was being more obvious than that,” he half-mumbles. “Is my flirting game that bad?”

Kurt laughs exhaling in a puff of air and rolling his eyes at himself. “I honestly have no idea. I don’t meet a lot of out gay guys my own age around here. And there’s not a lot of flirting in my life.” Kurt goes to run his hand through his hair, then catches himself, making a face. “And I look terrible.” Blaine is shaking his head, but Kurt continues. “You’re all set, I can lock you out.”

“What about my test drive?” Blaine asks. “Safety first.” He jingles the keys in front of him.

“You don’t really need one,” Kurt says, but he doesn’t add that he made it up to spend more time with Blaine. 

“But you made such a convincing argument,” Blaine teases. “Would you join me? I mean, what if I have questions? Or I can’t figure out how to use the turn signal?”

Kurt laughs, he’s definitely never been flirted with this hard before. He likes it way too much.. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t do anything to the turn signal. It should work the same way it did before.”

“Still,” Blaine says, smiling. 

“Okay,” Kurt agrees, considering it only for a moment. It’s a good thing Blaine isn’t going to be around a long time, because Kurt is not sure he could ever say no to his smile. “Do you mind if I get a little cleaned up first?” Blaine says okay, and Kurt heads to the back room to change and collect himself. 

“It’s just a ride in a car, that’s it,” he tells himself as he’s fixing his hair in the crinkled mirror. “Blaine will have his hands full the whole time.” He takes a deep breath, steeling himself. “Okay,” he says when he rejoins Blaine. “Ready.”

Once they get into the cab of the RV Kurt relaxes. Blaine is obviously a little nervous driving the big vehicle, and he tones down the earlier flirting so he can pay attention to what he’s doing. When it turns out that the new tires do make the RV drive differently, Kurt feels a little less like he tricked Blaine into spending time with him. Blaine drives around the block a half dozen times, feeling comfortable enough after that that he can drive back to the carnival grounds. 

“That was a good idea, Kurt. Thank you for suggesting it,” Blaine says sincerely after he cuts the engine. Neither of them say anything for a beat, and Kurt starts to say ‘goodnight’ just as Blaine says “What are you doing now?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I have to get back to work, but, um, what are you up to tonight?” 

“Nothing,” Kurt says. “I have to lock up, then I was going to head home and soak in the bathtub to get this grime off of me.” Blaine chuckles. “Between this place and the ticket booth I may have to remove several layers of skin before I feel normal again.”

“Oh man, I would love a bath,” Blaine moans, banging his head back against the headrest. “We just have those horrible showers in the campers, and sometimes they don’t even work.”

“Do you ever get a real shower?” Kurt asks. He’s a bit distracted by the column of Blaine’s throat, but he’s not sure he could survive an entire summer with those tiny showers they have in campers.

“Before we came here, actually,” Blaine answers, nodding. “We stayed in a motel for almost the whole week. It was amazing.” Blaine sighs, and Kurt laughs at the idea that spending a week in a motel would be a highlight of the summer. 

“I should go lock up,” Kurt says again. 

“Oh, yeah. Do you want me to stay? Wait to make sure everything’s safe?” 

Kurt smiles. It’s a nice thing to offer. “It’s okay, it’s still light out, so I doubt anyone is lurking.”

Kurt jumps out, waving at Blaine as he unlocks the door and slips inside. There isn’t much to do, just double check the back doors, make sure the coffee pot is cleaned out and all the lights are turned off. Things he didn’t have time to do when he rushed out earlier to go with Blaine. Once he’s satisfied that he’s got the shop closed up properly he leaves out the front door, to find Blaine still parked in front of the garage.

He’s gotten out of the RV though, and is leaning against the passenger side door. 

“Hey,” he says. “I know I’m being weird.”

It’s odd that Blaine is still there, but Kurt is more worried than anything. “Is everything alright? Is there something wrong with the RV?” Kurt looks over the vehicle as if he can diagnose it with x-ray vision.

“No, it’s fine. Look I have to get back, and this is probably stupid, but I can never seem to get you alone to just _talk_ to you, and I really really want to.”

“You want to talk to me?” Kurt is confused. Blaine looks like he’s both nervous and going to come out of his skin at the same time. It’s near dusk now, and the light is making the color of his eyes change every time he blinks. 

“I really like you, Kurt, and I know we don’t have a lot of time, but I have wanted to kiss you since the first day I came here and saw you.” Blaine stops, licking his lips as he draws a step closer to Kurt. “So can I?”

Kurt is acutely aware of how hard he is breathing, and how attractive Blaine is, and how he is nowhere near close enough to kiss him. Kurt takes a step closer. 

“You want to kiss me?” It comes out in a whisper and Kurt would feel embarrassed at that if he weren’t entirely freaking out. “Why?” 

“I can think of a million reasons,” Blaine says. But now he is close enough, and Kurt doesn’t want to miss this opportunity. Nobody has ever wanted to kiss him before. (Well, almost nobody.) 

Kurt closes the gap between them, putting on hand on Blaine’s shoulder as he presses his lips to Blaine’s…

...and is instantly struck by how he has no idea what he’s doing. Blaine is parting his lips and sighing into his mouth, and he turns his head, hissing as Kurt catches the bit of Blaine’s lip that’s still swollen from being hit between his own lips. But Blaine doesn’t stop, pressing in closer and carefully cupping Kurt’s face in one hand and keeps kissing him, and it’s perfect.

“Blaine,” Kurt gasps when they separate just a few very long seconds later. “I’ve never kissed anyone before,” he blurts out.

“What?” Blaine blinks, concern slowly replacing the slightly dreamy look in his eyes. “Never?”

Kurt shakes his head. Blaine pecks him gently on the mouth, but he looks nervous. “Oh.”

Kurt wants to kiss Blaine again, possibly for several hours, but Blaine is pulling away, and he knows they can’t stay there kissing in the parking lot at Hummel Tire & Lube all night.

“I have to get back,” Blaine says, looking like he really doesn’t want to leave. but Kurt is not in enough control of his thoughts or his speech at the moment to really protest. “Do you mind if I come by the ticket booth in the morning?”

Kurt nods, internally screaming at himself to leave - because he needs to spend some time flailing about what just happened, but all he wants to do is press Blaine up against the side of the RV and kiss him until they both can’t breathe.

When Kurt finally gets home, the house is dark. Burt is still out with Carole, though Kurt expects he won’t be out too much longer. Kurt’s exhausted. All the adrenaline that started coursing through his system when he kissed Blaine has drained, and now all he wants to do is take a shower and crawl into his bed. 

He takes one of his pre-made salads out and sits down at the kitchen table to eat. Propped up against the salt and pepper shakers is an envelope from NYU Tisch, addressed to Kurt. Burt must have put it there when he stopped at home before his date. 

Kurt already knew he hadn’t been accepted at NYADA, where Rachel was going, and he had applied late to NYU and hadn’t heard anything, so he’d just assumed at this point that he’d been too late. He doesn’t want to rush, because the longer he doesn’t open it the longer the possibility that he might have gotten in remains a reality.

He manages to chew approximately three times before he rips the letter open. Kurt scans it once, not entirely ready to believe, but the sixth time through it sinks in. He’s been wait-listed. _This is a thousand times better than being rejected_!

He wants to tell someone, he should tell Rachel - but he doesn’t want to deal with her insanity until he knows for sure, so he doesn’t call her. He can tell his dad when he gets home. Or in the morning, if he goes to sleep before Burt shows up.

Kurt reads the letter over and over as he finishes his salad. He can keep his hopes up. 

He finishes eating quickly, then heads to his room to clean up, skipping the bath he had planned on and opting for a quick shower and then crawling exhausted into bed, his emotions buzzing.

Kurt doesn’t fall asleep right away, his head is swimming with thoughts of New York and Blaine and kissing Blaine, and he doesn’t know how to get them to stop. He tries not to feel too guilty when he sticks his hand down the front of his pajama pants and doesn’t try even a little bit not to think about Blaine when he finally comes hard into his fist.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to honeysucklepink for the beta!

Blaine wakes up the next morning worried about his kiss with Kurt the night before. He took this job expecting to be the inexperienced one in any potential hookup situation, but he never thought about how he would feel if he was with someone who was just as inexperienced as he was - or more, it seemed, if Kurt had never even kissed another guy before. Blaine had been happy to let some more experienced, and in some cases definitely more aggressive, guys take the lead, but that didn’t mean Kurt would want that for his first experiences. 

He really needs to know how Kurt is feeling, so he decides to wait by the ticket booth until Kurt shows up. He’s almost there before he realizes that might be considered stalking, so he waits by the first aid tent until the carnival is supposed to open. It’s usually slow in the morning and he can steal a few minutes just to check in with him.

Blaine sees Kurt is already in the ticket booth as he approaches, but he doesn’t see Rachel anywhere. He waves at Kurt through the glass, then knocks on the door to the booth, hoping Kurt will open it and talk to him. 

“Hi Kurt,” Blaine says, flashing his brightest smile when Kurt opens the door. “I wanted to see how you were this morning.”

“Hi,” Kurt glances at him quickly, but Blaine can see him frown as he looks away. “Wait. What do you mean?” He asks, somewhat warily, Blaine thinks.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay, um, after I left?" Blaine asks. Kurt won’t exactly look at him so Blaine is guessing the answer is probably closer to ‘no’ than yes. Blaine is getting the distinct impression that Kurt doesn’t want to talk to him at all, which would be terrible.

"Yeah, I'm -" Kurt stops, then looks like he’s going to say something and shuts his mouth again. "Just, um the heat. Ohio summers, you know?" 

"Yeah, it's hot already," Blaine agrees. “Kurt, if you’re upset about what happened, I understand, you can -”

“Oh hello Blaine,” Rachel interrupts. “What are you doing here?” 

Blaine looks at Kurt, who is definitely avoiding looking at him. “Nothing, I guess,” he answers. “Just saying good morning.”

“Oh! Well how nice. Good morning Blaine,” Rachel offers.

Despite how frustrating his entire interaction went with Kurt, Blaine can’t help but default to the manners he was brought up with. “Good morning Rachel,” he says. “See you later, Kurt?”

Kurt shrugs. “Yeah, okay.”

Blaine waits to see if Kurt says anything else, but when he doesn’t, Blaine excuses himself and heads to the employee tent to pick up his assigned ride for the day.

\--

“Oh my goodness, Kurt. What was that?” Rachel asks when Blaine is out of earshot.

Kurt bangs his head against the ticket window. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Oh, I know that,” She says very unhelpfully, taking her seat next to him in the booth. “Tell me what happened.”

Kurt sighs deeply and considers exactly how much to tell Rachel. That he kissed Blaine? Not too controversial - she’s been pushing him to take a chance on Blaine all week. And that’s okay, he thinks, because it’s not having kissed him that made it impossible to look him in the face. It’s what happened later, alone in his room and most of the night. 

He didn’t feel bad about it while it was happening (extremely the opposite, actually), but in the light of day, with Blaine standing right in front of him, it felt like he might have crossed a line. It’s rude to think of someone you know and imagine them in every possible pornographic scenario you can imagine, right? Even if his imagination probably isn’t going to win him any adult film awards. 

Yeah, Rachel didn’t need to know about that part. At least not in any detail.

\--

“I have to say that sounds like you pretty much struck out, man,” Nick says as he locks another kid into the mini roller coaster. Blaine glares at him from where he’s sitting on the guard railing. 

Jeff is standing by the control box listening in. “Honestly after that string you had the first few weeks I’m surprised. Some of those guys were all over you.” 

Nick locks the next kid into a car. “If I were into guys I’d have been jealous.” 

Blaine rubs his hands over his face. Nick’s not wrong, really, but Blaine feels weird about it. Even though Sam had told him it would happen Blaine had been a little surprised at the attention. He had been even more surprised to find that while briefly thrilling it wasn’t what he wanted. What he wanted, more than just sex, was a connection with someone. Someone who liked _him_. This wasn’t really the job for that kind of meeting though.

But Kurt’s different. Sure, he is cute as hell, but it’s more. Blaine can tell in just the little time they’ve spent together that under other circumstances this could be something. It _would_ be something. He just has to figure out how to change the circumstances. 

Blaine looks up at Nick, who’s locking in the last pair of kids before he starts the ride. It hasn’t bothered Nick or Jeff or Sam; he sees them with different girls practically every night. Nick just shrugs and starts up the ride.

“Maybe I should ask Sam to cut my hair,” Blaine whines.

“Why don’t you try asking him on a date?” Nick suggests.

“To where? The Tilt-A-Whirl? This job doesn’t exactly leave time for dates.” Blaine frowns and makes air quotes with his fingers on the word _dates_. “Unless you count dragging someone you met ten minutes earlier into the back seat of a car to play tonsil hockey. Which you all clearly do.”

Jeff pretends to be insulted. “I’m pretty sure you counted it as a date two weeks ago.” Nick laughs and Blaine flips him off, then shakes his head. That’s not something he’d have done before the summer.

Nick looks like he’s thinking, hard. “I have an idea.” 

-

Blaine comes by the ticket booth again later that afternoon. He waits off to the side as Kurt is selling some tickets, but then leans close to the plexiglass, motioning for Kurt to come closer. Kurt has somehow managed to pull himself together, and he hates to admit that Rachel’s pep talk had helped, but it did. Although the flex of Blaine’s biceps as he leans forward on his elbows is proving to be a bit distracting. 

“Hi Blaine,” Kurt says, hoping he sounds normal. He’s not sure if he’ll ever feel normal around Blaine at this point. “Are you on a break?”

Blaine shakes his head. “Uh, no, actually I only have about a minute.” Kurt sees his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. Blaine seems nervous. “I was wondering if you maybe wanted to, um meet up later? Like around eight?” 

“I have to work - don’t you have to work?”

The carnival is only open until nine on weeknights. They all have closing responsibilities after that, but since Kurt and Rachel are only temp help and all they have to do is wait for the security team to come by and collect the money they manage to leave by 9:30. The permanent staff does evening maintenance and are usually busy for another hour after that. Sometimes later.

“I took care of that. Someone will come cover you,” he says.

That seems odd to Kurt. They are usually careful about who gets in the ticket booth because of all the money handling. But now his curiosity has overcome his awkward feelings about how often he thinks about Blaine naked. “Okay,” he says. “Why?”

Now Blaine won’t look at Kurt, and he starts peeling at the old glue and tape residue stuck to the ticket booth window. “For a date?”

“A date.” It’s not even a question when Kurt says it, but then Blaine _is_ looking at him, nervous and hopeful and nodding and looking a lot more like a terrified boy than Kurt has seen him at any time this week, including last night before they kissed. He still can’t stop the question that comes out of his mouth. “You want to take me on a date to the carnival that we both work at?”

Blaine laughs and relaxes a little, a smile breaking over his face as if Kurt had told him Santa Claus was coming to give him a puppy later. “Yeah. Meet me at the Tilt-A-Whirl?”

Kurt chuckles softly and smiles, and Blaine beams back at him. Blaine is asking him on a date. “Alright. See you then.”

\--

At 7:55 Sam is standing in front of the ticket window, waving at Kurt and Rachel. 

“Can you let me in?” He asks. “I was supposed to be here five minutes ago. Sorry.”

“Sam! So nice to see you!” Rachel says obviously as she opens the booth door to let him in. Kurt had filled her in on what was happening, at least on what he knew was happening. “We’re going to have such a good time! Not as good a time as Kurt and Blaine I’m _sure_ -”

“Oh my god, Rachel shut up. I’m sorry Sam, but she can get a little carried away sometimes.”

“Nah it’s cool man,” Sam says, but he looks a little confused. Kurt can’t help feeling bad for the guy. It’s hard enough for people who know and love Rachel to be stuck in an enclosed space with her. 

When Kurt arrives at the Tilt-A-Whirl he notices Blaine has changed out of his ripped carny worker jeans and the regulation logo t-shirt and is wearing clean cargo shorts and a dark maroon polo shirt that is extremely flattering on him. He looks like he’s had his hair cut.

“Hi,” Kurt says as he approaches.

“I’m sorry I only had shorts,” Blaine blurts out. “I didn’t bring anything nice with me on the road.” Blaine tugs at his shorts, a little embarrassed, as Kurt stands next to him. “And I had to borrow the shirt from Nick so it doesn’t really fit.” 

“You look great,” Kurt tells him. The sleeves are snug around Blaine’s upper arms and he tries not to stare at Blaine’s very nicely muscled calves. “Okay, so cargo shorts wouldn’t be my first choice - or probably my second. But you totally make them work.” Kurt is nervous-babbling and really at any minute he’s going to tell Blaine he might want to lick behind his very well sculpted knees later so he just shuts up. 

“So all the guys agreed to rearrange their breaks so I get all of my breaks at once at the end of the night, so I thought we could do a couple rides and then get something to eat?” Blaine eyes keep ticking down to Kurt’s mouth, and it’s distracting. 

“You’re using all your break time on me?” Kurt is weirdly touched by that. He barely knows this boy, but he’s sure no one has ever worked so hard to spend time with him. Not romantic time anyway. He’s trying not to be cynical about it, because in his more rational moments, the moments when his insides are not flailing because a really attractive boy is interested in him, he still has a hard time trusting it.

“Yeah,” he says, knocking his shoulder into Kurt’s as they walk toward the Scrambler. 

They go on the Scrambler and the Tilt-A Whirl and Blaine wraps one arm around Kurt, pulling him closer, while he hangs onto the safety bar with the other. They hold hands when they walk to get food, and share french fries and fried pickles. They don’t really talk about anything more than what they’re going to do next. 

“Dessert?” Blaine asks with a hopeful smile as he tugs Kurt along toward the funnel cakes. 

“Working here is very bad for my skin,” Kurt says, but he can’t stop smiling long enough to make it sound like he’s actually complaining. “Between the sun and the dust and the grease and the sugar--” He stops as they walk up to the cart with the funnel cakes.

“Your skin is amazing,” Blaine says, but he’s talking to the girl in the cart before Kurt can answer so he just stands there and wonders _when did Blaine notice my skin?_

They sit next to each other on one of the rusty tables put out for carnival diners, and Blaine tears the funnel cake into pieces, handing some to Kurt. They eat mostly in awkward silence. Kurt doesn’t know how to respond to how much Blaine has noticed about him. It gets even more awkward when Kurt is absently licking powdered sugar off of his fingers, sucking on one sugar-covered finger and he catches Blaine staring at his mouth. It takes Blaine a second to realize Kurt is looking at him, and he quickly looks away, but not before Kurt had noticed his eyes had blown wide open. Kurt can’t actually suppress the shudder that runs up his spine.

He wants to kiss Blaine again.

“Can I walk you to your car?” Blaine asks, once they’ve finished their dessert.

“So we can pretend you’re dropping me off at home?” Kurt teases. Blaine’s face falls just a fraction, and Kurt wishes that his default wasn’t always so mocking. “I’m sorry.” Kurt tangles his hands together on his lap and looks out over the crowds. “”I’m not used to, well, this.” He looks at Blaine as he says it, and Blaine relaxes a fraction. “This was nice, Blaine. I really enjoyed myself.”

Blaine smiles at that, then stands and holds out his hand. “Well then?” 

Kurt blinks. It’s such a gentlemanly gesture and he’s caught off guard. Not that Blaine hasn’t been completely lovely to Kurt during all their interactions. It’s just, not what Kurt expects. He doesn’t want to question it though. It’s exactly what he wants. 

He takes Blaine’s hand. “Okay.”

As they walk to the parking lot Blaine laces their fingers together, and Kurt’s stomach does flip flops. It may not have been the first date Kurt had fantasized about, but it was perfect. 

The parking lot is dappled with stragglers from the park heading to their cars, but Kurt is parked in the section roped off for employees, near where the RVs the permanent staff travel in are parked, so when they get to the car they are more or less alone. Blaine is increasingly jumpy as they get closer to Kurt’s car. It’s making Kurt jumpy too. He has a momentary flash of panic where he thinks Blaine isn’t really interested in him that way and he just took him on a lovely and romantic date in order to let him down easy. God he is overthinking this.

When they get to the car and he turns to face Blaine all he can think is that he definitely wants to kiss him again. “I had a great time Blaine. Thank you.” 

“Kurt about last night, I want to apologize for -”

“It’s okay, if you don’t, I mean, ” Kurt interrupts him. He really doesn’t want to hear Blaine tell him it was a mistake. He really really doesn’t. It feels like all the blood in his body has rushed into his brain and it’s making him dizzy. He can’t seem to stop his hands from flapping at his sides.

“Kurt wait, no,” Blaine says, stopping Kurt’s hands with his and holding them still between them. “I want to apologize for being a jerk. I shouldn’t have done that, kissed you like that. Your first kiss should be special. Not with some transient oaf hitting on you in the most clumsy way imaginable.”

Blaine looks chagrined. “I’m touched by your concern, but I wanted to kiss you. Please don’t feel bad about it.” 

“I did.” Blaine shrugs. “I wanted to make it up to you.”

Kurt tips his head forward, resting his forehead against Blaine’s and bringing them closer together. “Well if there was anything to make up for, you did it and then some.”

“And then some?” 

Kurt nods. “If that’s all you were concerned about then I think you’ve definitely earned a goodnight kiss.”

Kurt can see the corners of Blaine’s mouth turn up as he whispers a quiet _yay_ , leans in and presses his lips against Kurt’s. Kurt’s nose bumps Blaine’s cheek, and he inhales hard, parting his lips and pressing back. They separate for a moment and Blaine is back on him with a soft grunt, his tongue sweeping along Kurt’s upper lip just before it slips into his mouth. Kurt can’t help the squeal that escapes from the back of his throat, and he pulls away, desperate for a breath and a fraction of composure.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asks, kissing Kurt’s cheek. 

Kurt’s sucking air and wraps his arms around Blaine’s neck. “Yes, very okay.” Blaine’s hands find his waist and they go back to what they were doing, with Blaine pressing him up against the car door. Kurt has no idea how long it goes on - two minutes, ten? - but he does realize at some point the noise he hears in the back of his mind sounds like Rachel. He manages to tear his mouth away from Blaine’s.

“Rachel,” he says.

“What about Rachel?” Blaine kisses him again.

“I can hear her. We should probably stop.” Blaine makes a disappointed noise, but he pulls away, moving his body back far enough that Kurt misses the contact. He really wants to explore that.

“Hi fellas!” Rachel chirps. Sam is with her, and she’s been talking to him for an hour solid it seems, if the shell shocked look on Sam’s face is any indication. “Kurt are you ready to go yet? We dawdled as long as we could.” She winks at him in what she probably thinks is a stealthy way.

Kurt nods, and they all say their goodbyes, with Blaine telling Kurt that he’ll come by the ticket booth before they open in the morning. Kurt is thankful Rachel at least has the sense to wait until they are driving out of the parking lot to say anything.

“So?”

Kurt wasn’t sure how much he was going to want to share. It was so _new_. But now that she’s sitting there asking? He’s never had this to share before.

“Rachel it was amazing. He was so _nice_.” He tells her everything, he doesn’t stop talking all the way to her house. Kurt is pretty sure Rachel has never spent this much time listening to another person without interrupting, and it works for him because the words are like a volcano out of his mouth. When they pull up in front of her house he’s almost embarrassed at having shared so much. Almost.

Rachel is beaming at him. “I’m so happy for you Kurt.” She kisses him on the cheek and jumps out of the car. 

\--

By the time Kurt gets home he’s managed to calm down quite a bit. Talking to Rachel helped. When he finds his dad sitting on the couch watching television, he realizes that despite his very full day, it’s not really even that late. 

“Hi Dad,” Kurt says, heading up to his room.

“Hey Kurt, hang on a minute,” Burt stops him.

Kurt turns and joins him in the living room, but he doesn’t sit. Now that he’s home he’s feeling grimy and would like to take a shower. “What’s up?”

“I saw that envelope from NYU. I was hoping it had good news? I didn’t hear from you all day.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kurt does sit now. “I got waitlisted.”

Burt makes a confused face. “What does that mean?”

“Well, considering I didn’t think I was going to get in at all, I’m going to take it as a good sign. So I’m happy about it,” Kurt lets him know. “But I haven’t told anyone - and yes I mean Rachel - because I just don’t know anything and I don’t want to get into it with her.” Burt nods, they’ve discussed this before. “I’m still just going to plan to take classes here and hope for winter term admission somewhere.”

“You’re still okay with that plan?” Burt asks.

Kurt nods. “It’s the best plan Dad, really. I do want to go, but I can save more money here if it doesn’t happen.” Kurt shrugs. He’s resigned to it, no matter how thrilled he’d be to get in, even on late notice.

“When do they tell you about the wait list?” 

“Mid-August. So I’ll be sitting on the front porch waiting for the mailman every day,” Kurt jokes. “You can bring me my meals out there.” Burt laughs, and Kurt excuses himself to go shower.

Kurt’s surprised to find he’s too tired and strung out to use his shower time for fun, but he does fantasize a little about New York. He wants it so badly he can only poke at the idea a little without it getting too painful. He knows he could go, his dad has already said they’d figure out a way to make it work, but Kurt feels like that’s a lot of pressure to put on his dad and their finances with no real definite outcome. 

He can wait. He can. He’s practiced at having to wait. He waited what felt like forever for someone like Blaine - okay, not actually _like_ Blaine. He never imagined someone like Blaine at all. But he’s here now, and if it’s not the fated high school romance he used to dream of, and it’s got a shelf life of approximately four more days, he’s not going to pretend it doesn’t make him happy. At least for the next four days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to honeysucklepink for the beta as always!

He knows it’s silly. He does, and he tamps down the tiny spark of hope that wants whatever is going on with Blaine to be more than just a pleasant diversion. A summer romance destined to come to a heartbreaking end. Kurt wants it to be real. 

He _knows_ it’s silly.

Kurt doesn’t think about it when he leaves the house an hour early, stopping by the local coffee spot to pick up coffee and a few muffins in case Blaine might want to have breakfast with him. He doesn’t think about it when he pulls into the parking lot at the carnival spot. But he wants to so badly.

Blaine had said he was going to stop and see him at the ticket booth, but Kurt is there so early that he wants to go find him. They haven’t exchanged phone numbers, so he can’t text Blaine and see if he’s available. (And why haven’t they? Should they have each other’s numbers? He doesn’t know if he should ask Blaine or if he should wait for Blaine to ask him. He really doesn’t want to ask Rachel what the etiquette should be on this.)

There’s a canopy tent behind the first aid tent that the carnival employees hang out in on breaks or before shifts, or just generally when they have time on their hands and don’t want to indulge in what the carnival has to offer, so Kurt heads over there. It wouldn’t look weird for him to be there before the rides open, and it’s possible Blaine might even be there. It seems a safe place to wait, anyway.

There aren’t many people around this early in the morning, since most of the crew are setting up the rides and doing test runs on the roller coasters and that sort of thing, so he easily finds an empty picnic table and sets his coffee and paper bag of muffins down. 

He doesn’t have to wait long. Kurt is lifting the top off of his coffee and breathing in the steam when Blaine shows up at the tent. He’s frowning, like he’s looking for something that isn’t there. 

“Hi,” Kurt says. He knows he’s smiling like an idiot. He decides not to care.

“Kurt! Hi.” Blaine grins at him, frown disappearing instantly. “You’re here so early.” Kurt’s heart thumps a little when Blaine sits next to him on the bench. Not across from him, next to him. “I had a great time last night,” he tells Kurt.

“Me too.” Still grinning. “I brought you coffee.” Kurt holds up the cardboard tray holding their two coffees, and the soft, grateful look that flashes across Blaine’s face makes his insides melt right there. 

“That is, wow, that is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a long time,” Blaine says, his expression completely sincere. Or at least, it looks sincere to Kurt.

“It’s just coffee,” Kurt demurs. He watches Blaine take a sip, testing the temperature, then swallow several gulps.. 

“Definitely not just coffee,” Blaine says. He sets the cup down, then sets his fingers lightly on Kurt’s thigh under the table. Kurt freezes for a long few seconds. “Is this okay?” Blaine asks, his voice low in a way he didn’t think teenage boys could master.

Kurt sucks a deep breath and waits for all the blood rushing through his brain and currently making him dizzy to settle somewhere much lower. “Yeah,” he says, and his voice sounds so breathy he wants to apologize. He doesn’t. “Yes it’s fine. Good.” He slips his hand under the table and tentatively touches Blaine’s fingers with his own.

Blaine smiles and flips his hand over so he can tangle his fingers with Kurt’s, and Kurt’s heart skips several thousand beats. 

—

Blaine is supposed to be manning the Ferris Wheel for the day, but one of the gondolas busted a hinge, so it’s out of service for a few hours while the maintenance crew tries to fix it, or decides to shut it down altogether. Instead he’s bothering Sam while he works the kiddie roller-coaster. 

“I want to tell him.” Blaine blurts out.

“Tell who?” Sam answers but doesn’t look at him. “Woah there little guy. No running inside the ride!”

Blaine shifts out of the way of a handful of tiny preschoolers. “Kurt.”

“Okay. Tell him what?”

“I have no idea. Something. That this isn’t me? That I like Katy Perry and classic movies and bow ties? And that I like him?” Blaine honestly isn’t sure. He can’t quite figure out how or why Kurt’s got under his skin so completely, but he has. Sure he’s gorgeous and sweet, and thoughtful - Kurt brought him real coffee! - and funny, and Blaine is just kinda lost when he thinks about him. 

“Um, okay. Why?”

“I don’t know” Blaine thinks. “Because I want him to like me? That I want to date him like a normal person?”

“Dude, he does like you. Tell me you notice him light up like a Christmas tree when you show up.” Sam stops to herd some little kids into a car. “Even I notice that, and I don’t notice that stuff on girls, much less on other dudes.”

Blaine heaves a frustrated sigh. He’s not really mad at Sam though - although if he thought hard enough about it he could probably make this Sam’s fault. 

“Yeah. But the me he likes isn’t really _me_. It’s some road stud version of me that’s not real. What if I tell him this is all a put on and he doesn’t like me?”

Sam cackles. “Road stud? Dude get a grip. You made out with a few guys. Does Kurt even know about that?”

Blaine shakes his head sharply. “No.”

“So he likes you.” Sam shrugs and starts up the roller coaster, watching the kids as the tiny car snakes around the track. “But I don’t know what the point would be. Rachel told me last night that Kurt applied to school in New York but he didn’t get in.” 

Blaine perks up at that. Kurt hasn’t said anything about New York. Of course they really haven’t talked about much. Just flirted a lot. “What? Did she say that? What else did she say?”

“Yeah, they were supposed to go off to acting school together or something - I couldn’t really follow it - but Kurt didn’t get into the program she did so now he’s staying here in Ohio and working at his dad’s garage, I think?”

“He didn’t apply to anywhere else?”

“Dude, I have no clue.” Sam buckles the last kid into the roller coaster and steps over to the controls. “Rachel talks fast, and kind of a lot, and I sorta zoned out. But I think he’s pretty upset about it. She did say he won’t talk to her at all about it.”

Blaine is quiet, his arms folded over his chest. He knows he’s sulking. But he also has no idea what the point would be. He’s going to New York in a few weeks and Kurt will be in Ohio. He’d be trying to have a long distance relationship with someone he barely knows without ever having really dated. 

He’s got no reason to think Kurt is interested in anything more than just messing around. As far as he knows Kurt thinks he’s just some guy who works at the carnival. But this isn’t just messing around to Blaine. He wants it to be more than that to Kurt, too.

\--

“Rachel what do I doooo?” Kurt whines into the palms of his hands.

Rachel is making change for a couple of middle-school-aged looking kids who appear to be here on a date. “About what?”

“Blaine.”

Rachel snorts a laugh. “Oh, Kurt honey if you can’t figure that out I need to point you to a few web sites that can help.”

“Oh my god, Rachel.” He swats her on the arm as she breaks out into giggles. He’s seen enough of those web sites, he doesn’t need Rachel’s help. “I _like_ him.”

“Well, that’s good, right?” Rachel softens.

“No, it’s terrible. I thought this was just going to be some meaningless summer fling. I didn’t expect to actually fall for some guy who smells like corn dogs and is covered in machine oil. I can do that at the garage!”

“He smells like corn dogs?”

“No he smells amazing Rachel and I have no idea how he does that either! He spends all day gross and sweaty and he smells like raspberries and sage!” Kurt slams his forehead down on the ticket counter. “Those two smells shouldn’t even smell good together!”

“Ooh, nice,” Rachel mumbles. “Well, they don’t leave until Tuesday. There’s plenty of time for something horrible to happen so you can get him out of your system.

Kurt sits up and glares at her. “That is not helpful Rachel.”

—

Kurt knows that Blaine gets his lunch break at 11:30, so he’s not surprised when he knocks on the ticket booth window right around that time. 

“Hi,” Blaine says, grinning at Kurt. “Busy morning?”

Kurt shrugs one shoulder, biting his lip. “Not too bad.”

“Kurt if you would like to take a short break now you go ahead,” Rachel says from over Kurt’s shoulder. “I’m sure I can handle things for a few minutes.” She gives him a little nudge with her shoulder.

“Thanks Rachel.” Kurt doesn’t need any encouragement, and rushes out the door. Blaine takes his hand and tugs him behind the booth. It’s not exactly a secluded area - they can be seen by anyone on the carnival grounds. Blaine takes a quick look in both directions then leans in and gives Kurt a lingering peck on the lips. 

“Thanks again for breakfast this morning,” Blaine says. “The guys were jealous.”

“Tell them they have to find their own townie to bring them their local refreshments,” Kurt teases.

"Can we hang out after close?" Blaine asks. “If you don’t have to be anywhere, I mean.” He has that nervous, hopeful smile from yesterday that Kurt thinks he might actually be unable to resist. This is bad.

Kurt bites back a smile. "Okay."

"Great, meet me in back of the first aid tent. I have to stop by my trailer and pick up some things."

\--

Blaine is waiting for a few minutes before he sees Kurt walking around the corner of the tent. He puts on his brightest smile.

“Hi Kurt,” he greets him, balancing an armful of what looks like wrapped sandwiches and a bag of popcorn and some cups of pop. “I hope you like picnics,” Blaine says brightly.

"A picnic?" Kurt says.

Blaine lays a blanket out on the ground, and they sit, Kurt watching as Blaine sets out the food. Blaine is chattering about the weird things he saw during the day but at some point realizes that Kurt hasn’t said anything for a few minutes. 

"Are you ok?" Blaine asks.

"What? Oh, yes, fine. This just isn't what I was expecting.”

“You were expecting Prince Charming?” Blaine’s question is playful, but Kurt can hear what sounds like uncertainty underneath. 

“I don’t -” Kurt looks uncertain and Blaine is a little unsure that this was such a good idea. “I’ve never had a boy make me a picnic before.”

“Well obviously the boys in this town don’t know what they’re missing,” Blaine states. Kurt laughs in agreement, sitting down on the edge of the blanket.

"This is nice," Kurt says, watching as Blaine sets out a couple of sandwich halves and some fruit. They're sitting cross legged on the blanket, with enough space between them for the food. 

"They actually, um, cater in some food that's not fried once or twice at each stop. I snagged a few things before they ate it all." Blaine frowns. “I hope it’s not terrible.”

Blaine looks up when Kurt chokes out a laugh.

"You took their food?"

Blaine laughs just a little. "Oh no! It's cool, Kurt. Most of the guys don't care what they eat anyway. They're like human garbage disposals," he says with a small shudder.

Kurt laughs again, and Blaine looks up and smiles at him. Kurt smiles back and plucks a grape out of the fruit bowl. 

"Well thank you, you know, for this." 

They sit in a slightly awkward silence for a few minutes nibbling the food, but Blaine has a question that's been on his mind since last week. He swallows a bite of his sandwich first. "So, can I ask you about that Dave guy?"

Kurt shrugs but looks a little wary. "Ask about what?"

"You seem pretty convinced he wouldn't do anything. Why?"

Kurt inhales a long breath, like he's contemplating whether he should answer the question. He levels a long look at Blaine and Blaine can't help but squirm a little. Kurt finally sighs.

"I guess I can tell you. It's not like you'll ever see him again, right?"

Blaine spreads his hands out in front of him. "Who knows? But if I do it might help me to know, since I tackled his friend and he punched me in the face." Blaine points to his cheek, which is mostly healed except for a small purple blotch he still has under his eye.

"Yeah, that did happen," Kurt says, looking Blaine over. He picks up a napkin, tearing at the corners. "Dave used to, um, push me around, call me names, predictable stuff.” Kurt gives Blaine a knowing look. “One day I confronted him about it, there wasn't anyone around and I wasn’t sure he wouldn't actually hurt me, you know? And he -" Kurt pauses, and Blaine sits forward. He doesn’t think he likes where this is going. "Long story short, he didn't - exactly. He grabbed me and kissed me instead. He's gay. And I'm the only person who knows. And I think he's afraid that if he does anything really drastic I'll tell someone, and he doesn't want that." Kurt shrugs. "He's really struggling."

Blaine doesn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't that. "Oh, wow," he says, shaking his head. "That's, um, okay. That's big. And it's very kind of you, to be willing to keep his secret, after -" he makes a rolling motion with his hands, “Well, after that.”

"I know what he’s going through, sort of. But I was lucky, I had my dad, and he’s great - so supportive. I just had to deal with school." Kurt tipped his head, contemplating. "So I'm sure he wouldn't have hurt me." Kurt stops and looks at Blaine again. "But you were right about the other guys. Who knows what they would have done. So thank you."

Blaine waves the thanks away, blushing a little, but Kurt grabs his hand, looking directly into Blaine's eyes now, and Blaine freezes.

"I mean it, Blaine." Kurt smiles just a little. “And now that you know, I want to thank you for being my _real_ first kiss. I hated that it was stolen like that.”

Blaine bites at his bottom lip, but finally nods. "Okay. You're welcome." 

They share some more silence before Blaine goes on. He’s hoping Kurt will give him some opening to talk about what happens after this. 

"So what do you do when you're not fixing cars or selling tickets to Midwestern families for thrilling carnival rides?" 

Kurt chewed for a minute, swallowing and looking thoughtful. 

"Well. I just graduated high school. And normally I spend my summers fixing cars in my dad's garage - which you know, but Rachel somehow convinced me I should be doing something different before I have to be an adult." Kurt pauses, his mood darkening slightly. "Only it doesn't seem I'll be going anywhere in September so I'll just add it to the pile of wasted opportunities." 

Before he can stop himself Blaine reaches for Kurt's hand, tangling two fingers into two of Kurt's. "Don't say that. I hope you don't-" Blaine pauses, catching Kurt's wandering eyes. "I don't think it's wasted." 

Kurt doesn’t say anything right away, but squeezes Blaine's fingers once before letting go.

"What about you, Blaine? Are you a carnival lifer?"

"What? No. Sam actually thought it would be good for me, to, y'know, get out, do something different. He's my Rachel, I guess," Blaine answered. "It's been, um, interesting."

"Interesting how?" Kurt asked. 

Blaine doesn’t want to tell him he's spent the last few weeks hooking up with total strangers. Thinking about it it really doesn’t make him seem like much of a catch. 

"I got to meet you."

Kurt chuckled, turning his head. "You must be having a slow summer then, because I am not that interesting."

Blaine catches Kurt's cheek in his palm, leaning closer. He wants to talk to Kurt more, find out everything there is to know about him. But he wants this too.

"In my limited experience, you are the single most interesting boy in all of Ohio." Kurt wouldn't look at him, but Blaine could see his eyes darting from his mouth to his shoulder. And back to his mouth. Blaine leaned closer still, his lips almost touching Kurt's. "Is this okay?"

Kurt makes a noise in the back of his throat. "Uh huh." 

Blaine's lips touch Kurt's and Kurt leans in, grabbing at Blaine's shoulders with both hands. It’s not the first time they’ve kissed, but it’s awkward at first. When Blaine pulls back to look at Kurt he is breathing hard, so Blaine cradles his head in both hands and pushes closer, parting Kurt’s lips with his tongue at the same time Kurt surges forward. Blaine winds up on his back on the ground and he untangles his legs and wraps them around Kurt’s waist just as Kurt pulls away, hands braced on the ground on either side of Blaine’s head.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” Kurt pants, lifting himself up over Blaine. It’s twilight and Blaine can barely see how Kurt’s skin is flushed, his eyes blown wide. “Did I hurt you?”

Blaine shakes his head on the blanket, the ground hard underneath. “No no,” he says, feeling desperate as he hooks his knee around the back of Kurt’s thigh and pulls him down until he is lying on top of Blaine. “I’m fine, I-I’m good. This is good.” He cranes his neck and captures Kurt’s mouth again. “I-I-um- d’you think this is good?” He should make sure this is okay with Kurt. Even though he said it was okay. He needs to make sure.

Kurt nods then. “Yes, this is good.”

“Good,” Blaine says.

Blaine stops being so tentative then, tugging Kurt’s lip with his teeth and wrapping his legs around Kurt. Kurt makes a tiny mewling noise that goes straight to Blaine’s cock and Blaine licks into his mouth with a soft moan. They are grinding and Kurt is hard and Blaine can feel it and, shit, this isn’t quite like anything he’s ever done before and Kurt feels amazing and is making noises that sound so good, and Blaine is gasping under him. Kurt is wearing entirely too many (any) clothes, so Blaine starts scrabbling at Kurt’s back, his shirt, tugging, and Kurt is kissing across Blaine’s jaw, nipping at the tender skin on his neck and wow, no one had done _that_ to him yet and Blaine wants to know how Kurt knew that would feel so good. Blaine can’t stop moaning. Kurt is humping him into the ground and sucking hard on his neck, and Blaine can’t even think anymore so he squeezes his legs tighter and his arms wrap around Kurt’s shoulders, and all he can think is _don’t stop_ so he says it and “ _Kurt_ ” and then Kurt is gone.

Kurt’s mouth and his body and his hands and the feel of his cock were pressed right up against Blaine and now they’re not. It takes Blaine a few too many seconds to realize Kurt has only pushed himself up and off of Blaine - and he hasn’t disappeared. He’s sitting on the ground panting, his legs stretched out awkwardly. Blaine reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Kurt, is everything okay?”

Kurt nods, but doesn’t pull away, and Blaine’s head falls back onto the blanket.

“I think, maybe we should, um, cool off a little,” Kurt says. Blaine watches him run a hand through his now messy hair. It’s adorable and he wants to reach out and do it too. Instead he pushes himself upright and scoots close to Kurt.

“Okay,” he says, encouragingly he hopes, and tries not to worry as he puts his hand on Kurt’s knee. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Kurt side eyes him a little, the corner of his mouth creeping up just a bit. “It’s not that I don’t _want_ to.” Blaine is relieved to hear that. “It’s just that I’ve never-” Kurt lets the sentence hang in the air and makes a kid of rolling motion with his hand. “Done, anything.” He sighs and looks up at the sky. “This is so embarrassing.”

“No no no, Kurt. No. It’s not. Don’t be embarrassed.” Blaine smiles at him, and he can see Kurt relax a little. Blaine does wonder if it would make him more comfortable to know that Blaine really doesn’t have much experience either. That he only kissed a guy for the first time a few weeks ago. Blaine shrugs instead. “It’s okay.” He tugs at Kurt’s hand until Kurt lets him tangle their fingers together. “Come on, let’s look at the stars.” Blaine lies back down on the blanket and Kurt, after a few seconds, lies next to him, still holding his hand, which Blaine thinks is a good sign. He can’t be mad at him if he’s still holding his hand.

It’s nearly dark now, and while there are still lights from the carnival that never quite go out, it’s a clear night and they can see stars everywhere.

“Thanks for coming out with me,” Blaine says after a few minutes.

He hears Kurt scoff, rather than sees him. “You don’t have to thank me. I should thank you. This was fun.”

“Still. It’s just been kind of a weird summer, being away from home and everything, and this felt almost, I don’t know, like a normal thing to do.” He knows Kurt can’t see him, but he shrugs against the ground.

After a few more minutes they gather their things and Blaine walks Kurt out to the parking lot where his car is. He wants to kiss Kurt goodnight, but as he leans in they are interrupted by giggling in the next row. When they look to see where the laughing is coming from they catch Nick and Jeff each disappearing into the back seat of a car. 

“Does everybody do that?” Kurt asks. 

“Well, there’s not really a lot of privacy in the trailers, so some of the guys aren’t that picky about where they get some.” 

Kurt chokes a laugh.

“Some privacy! Get some privacy. Not, um.” Blaine stops and bites his lip. “Well sometimes that too,” Blaine says, sheepishly. He doesn’t really want to take the conversation further. 

And neither does Kurt, it seems. He just hums acknowledgement, but doesn’t ask anything more before he puts his arms over Blaine’s shoulders. 

“Can I come meet you for breakfast again?” Kurt asks.

“Mmm, I don’t know,” Blaine teases, moving closer, his nose bumping Kurt’s. “Would there be coffee?”

“Possibly.”

“How about one of those blueberry muffins?”

“I suppose. If you ask very nicely.”

He leans in and kisses Kurt, taking his time until they both need some air. 

“Was that nice enough?”

Kurt pretend to think about it. “I don’t know. Maybe you should try again.”

So he does.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes we're back! 
> 
> After an upside down March and a busier than normal April, I finally carved out the time to finish this. It turns out all I had to do was stop trying to cram everything into two chapters. Hopefully this is good news for everyone reading! I'm hopeful that the remaining chapters will every couple of days, and I'm not sure right now if there will be three or four additional. We'll have to see what they boys want to do.
> 
> Thanks as ever to honeysucklepink for the beta, but I did make some significant changes after hear read through, and of course all mistakes are mine.

When Kurt pulls into the employee parking area Friday morning, Blaine is waiting for him, looking sleepy and sitting on the grass on the other side of the parking barrier. Blaine perks up and waves when Kurt comes to a stop. 

“Hi,” Blaine says, pulling the passenger door open and sliding into the seat next to Kurt. Kurt tries not to laugh when Blaine leans over the center console, lips puckered and blinking exaggeratedly. He can’t resist for long though, and leans in for a quick kiss. He feels like it shouldn’t make him blush to do it, but it does. 

“How long were you waiting there?” Kurt asks. He’s unpacking the coffees he picked up for them on the way there, along with what he hopes is a surprise Blaine likes. He isn’t really sure what Blaine likes. When Blaine pops the lid off of his cup and inhales the coffee scent and steam, Kurt at least knows Blaine likes coffee.

“I don’t know, maybe half an hour,” Blaine tells him. He draws a long swallow from the cup. “Might have been longer.” 

“Blaine, you didn’t have to do that.” Blaine looks puzzled. “Wait for me, I mean. I could meet you in the employee tent when I get here.” 

“I wanted to.” Kurt hands him the bag of pastries and gets a thank you smile in return. “Blueberry muffin?” Blaine asks.

Kurt nods. “I picked up a couple of extra things, in case you were in the mood for something else.” 

“Biscotti? I love biscotti,” Blaine smiles into the bag and then at Kurt again. Kurt doesn’t know what to do with the attention from this boy, who likes biscotti and smiles at him so easily like it’s nothing. 

“It’s got chocolate,” Kurt says. Because it’s all he can manage. 

“I love chocolate,” Blaine says, still smiling into the bag.. “But I’m going to save it for later. I was thinking though,” Blaine starts, taking the muffin out of the bag and biting off a chunk. He takes a minute to chew and swallow before he continues, and Kurt has seen enough boys eat in the cafeteria at school to appreciate that about Blaine too. “If we exchanged phone numbers, then you, uh, you could text me when you were on your way here. If you’re worried about me waiting outside, I mean.”

Kurt blinks, staring at Blaine. Blaine is biting his bottom lip, looking like he’s afraid Kurt might say no, and Kurt thinks it might possibly be the cutest thing he’s ever seen. And also the craziest, because no boy has ever asked him for his phone number before. Kurt lets the thrill of it travel up his spine before he tucks it away, knowing it can’t really be anything. That it won’t be anything _real_. But Blaine makes him feel like it’s something real, or that it could be, and Kurt doesn’t know what to do.

“You want my phone number?” He hears his voice climb even higher than usual and curses how utterly not smooth he is about anything.

Blaine nods, just a fraction. “Only if you want to give it to me, I mean -” Blaine turns and looks out the car’s front windshield.

That’s when Kurt realizes he’s leaving Blaine hanging, and that’s probably not cool. “Oh! Yeah! Yes,” He says, probably too loud in the tiny car. “I want to. Give you my number.”

“Yeah?” Blaine’s wide eyed look is still questioning, and Kurt nods, hoping the grin on his face isn’t obviously of the shit-eating kind. Blaine sets down his coffee and wriggles his hips up far enough that he can reach into the pocket of his jeans and pull out his phone. Kurt takes it and thumbs in his number. “Awesome.” 

Blaine bites his lip again as he examines Kurt’s name on his phone. It’s _definitely_ the cutest thing Kurt’s ever seen.

“You should call me,” Kurt says. 

“Oh I will,” Blaine nods, looking from his phone to Kurt and back. Kurt laughs and picks his phone up from where it’s sitting on the dashboard.

“No, I mean now,” Kurt says quietly, as he waves his phone in front of Blaine. “So I can have your number too.” Blaine looks at him, beaming like it’s the best idea anyone has ever had and touches his phone. He disconnects it when Kurt’s phone lights up and Kurt takes a moment to fill Blaine’s name in the contact entry. 

They finish their breakfast, Blaine filling Kurt in on the carnival gossip, which largely consists of a love triangle involving the assistant mechanic, one of the temporary nurses, and the guy who manages the food service supplies. Apparently it was a screaming match between the three of them that woke Blaine so early that he decided to just get up and wait for Kurt. 

“So what happened to them?” 

Blaine laughs. “I think the three of them all went into one of the campers together.” Kurt’s eyes widen, but Blaine just shrugs. “It’s weird being on the road all the time. Strange things happen. Here, let me get that.” Blaine reaches for Kurt’s empty cup and collects the remaining trash, then gets out of the car. 

Kurt watches Blaine walk over to the nearest trash bin. It’s hot, even at this hour, and Blaine hasn’t put on his work polo yet, he’s just wearing a snug white t-shirt and jeans, like the day he walked into the garage. Now that Kurt knows he’s gay, and knows just a little what he feels like under those clothes, it’s hard not to stare at him and wonder about more. He watches as Blaine drops the bag in the bin, then stretches, his arms reaching high over his head as the t-shirt rides up his belly. 

Every feeling Kurt has ever had to suppress, looking at guys who would never reciprocate his feelings - no matter how simple they were, is scratching at his skin from the inside, trying desperately to get out. Kurt blushes so hard he has to turn his head away, as if the whole world could see how he feels.

When Blaine gets back in the car he twists around so his back is leaning up against the door and he’s facing Kurt. Blaine’s head tilts with a lopsided grin that Kurt wants to kiss off his face when he notices it. A tiny purple circle just above Blaine’s collarbone. 

“Kurt?”

Kurt blinks. “Um -” 

He’s not sure what to say, if anything. Kurt’s seen hickeys, the girls in the glee club frequently came to school sporting them, pretending that they wanted to hide them but showing them off at the slightest prodding. But this isn’t quite as dark, or obvious as the one’s he’s seen. So he’s not sure.

It only takes Blaine another few seconds to realize what Kurt is staring at, and he slaps his hand to his neck.

“Oh,” Blaine says. His face is flushed, he’s blushing but he’s also touching the bruise with his fingers and staring at Kurt pretty intently. “I almost forgot that was there.” 

“Did I do that?” Kurt shifts in the driver’s seat so he can get a better look, and for the first time since he got it he curses the tiny interior of his car. “Oh my god I’m so sorry,” he says, because he doesn’t know what else to say, and he’s not sure that he’s sorry at all.

Blaine chuckles softly and leans forward,taking one of Kurt’s hands in his. “Of course,” he answers. “And I really didn’t mind. You don’t have to be sorry.” Blaine’s smile turns into a confused frown. “Unless you really didn’t want to do it, then I guess you can be sorry.” 

Kurt shakes his head. “Very not sorry then. If you didn’t mind.”

“Okay good,” Blaine whispers, just before he leans over the center console and presses his mouth to Kurt’s. It’s only a few seconds, but Kurt can’t stop himself leaning into it just as Blaine pulls away. “Hey, we’ve got some time before we have to be anywhere.” 

Kurt glances at the clock on the dashboard. He must have been even earlier than he thought because they’ve got half an hour before either of them have to check in at their posts. 

“Wanna make out?” Blaine asks, eyebrows questioning. 

Kurt can’t help but chuckle. “I thought we were.” Blaine dives back in, one hand sliding around the back of Kurt’s head, the other gripping his arm. Kurt wriggles and moves to shift his body so he can get his arms around Blaine’s waist just as Blaine tries to bend his torso over the center console, and Blaine bangs his knee on the gear shift. 

“ _Shit._ ”

“Oh! Are you okay?” Blaine is already undone, face flushed and lips already swollen from kissing, but Kurt can stop long enough to make sure he’s not hurt.

He’s rubbing his knee, but he doesn’t look any more interested in stopping than Kurt it. “I banged my knee, but it’s fine.” He leans back in to Kurt’s space. “It’s fine.”

Kurt kisses him, then pulls away. He doesn’t miss the whine that comes out of Blaine when he opens the door and gets out of the car. “This will be better. Move back a sec,” he tells Blaine, and when he’s out of the way Kurt releases the seat and moves it all the way forward, climbing into the back. 

“There’s not exactly a lot of room back here, but if we move the seats up -” 

Blaine makes a strangled sort of grunting noise and climbs over the seat, joining Kurt in the back. Kurt winds up half on his back and sideways across the seat, Blaine hovering over him with one leg on the floor. “Is this alright?” 

Kurt doesn’t bother answering, he just reaches for Blaine’s face, kissing him harder than he’s had the nerve to so far. Blaine presses back, tugging at Kurt’s shirt until he gets his hand underneath on Kurt’s skin, moaning as his palm spreads wide across Kurt’s back. 

“So hot,” Blaine mumbles, kissing down Kurt’s throat.

“Ungg, m’sweaty.” Kurt thinks for a moment that it’s kind of gross that Blaine’s hand is on his obviously sweaty back, but decides not to care.

“Like it,” is all Blaine says, shifting to give Kurt room as he takes his turn kissing Blaine’s neck. Kurt decides he likes it a lot - the taste of Blaine’s throat on his tongue - when Blaine gasps, and Kurt realizes that his mouth is worrying at the almost-hickey spot, and Blaine is moaning and baring his throat more and pressing hard up against Kurt. “Feels so good,” Blaine groans into Kurt’s hair. “ _Don’t stop_.”

Kurt doesn’t stop, and he doesn’t want to. In his wildest dreams he had never imagined what it would feel like, being wanted like this, and he wants to chase whatever he’s feeling until the obvious end. If they weren’t in the back of his tiny car Kurt is pretty sure it would be over already, at least for him. 

“Blaine.” Kurt pulls his mouth away from Blaine’s neck, filing the tiny noise of disappointment he makes away for later. “I hate to keep doing this, but I don’t exactly have a change of clothes.” 

“Wha-?” Blaine sits up and bangs his head on the roof of the car. “Oh, right.”

Kurt kisses the tender spot on Blaine’s neck one more time, and Blaine groans as he climbs off, sitting on the seat next to Kurt, his erection very obviously tenting his shorts. They sit quietly, heavy breathing giving way to calm, and Kurt can’t help it, he bursts out laughing.

“Oh my god,” he says, covering his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, again. It’s just -”

“It’s okay Kurt,” and Blaine is laughing too, so it can’t be bad, right? Blaine leans his shoulder into Kurt’s, dropping his head on his shoulder. “I just wish we could -”

“Yeah,” Kurt says. “Me too.”

\--

“Can we hang out at lunch?” Blaine asks once they get to the ticket booth. Kurt can tell he’s lingering and he can’t help but feel how fully unfair the universe is that the first time he’s had someone come close to resembling a boyfriend - even if he really isn’t that, but Kurt can have his fantasy - circumstances still conspire to keep them apart. “I can come by at 1:20, we can grab a corn dog.”

“Ew. No to the corndog, I don’t think I will ever eat another corn dog.” Kurt’s stomach turns at the thought of it. “Two weeks as a carny may have destroyed my ability to enjoy the worst foods humankind has to offer for the rest of my life.” 

Blaine leans close enough to whisper in Kurt’s ear. “We could skip lunch and just go straight to your car and make out some more. If you want.”

Blaine kisses him again, a quick peck on the cheek before Kurt can answer, his fingers tangling with Kurt’s until the very last second. He makes a texting motion and waves before he turns around, and Kurt leans back against the door to the ticket booth, hugging himself with both arms. Rachel will be there any second and he needs to pull himself together.

\--

“So are you going to tell me about your date last night or what, Kurt? I texted you three times and you ignored all of them.”

Kurt sighs. He wants to tell Rachel, but part of him is afraid that if he talks about it it will make it disappear, like some sort of fairytale nightmare. 

“He took me on a picnic,” Kurt finally tells her. 

“A picnic? At night? Kurt that sounds very romantic.” 

She’s smiling in an irritating way, but he decides to let her have her fun. 

“It was,” is all he says. 

Early birds start arriving to the grounds, and they get busy for an hour or so selling tickets to various groups of kids and families and teenagers, a few that they even know from school. It’s not until they get a break and Kurt feels his phone vibrate in his pocket that he has time to wonder if it’s Blaine that’s texting him. He fishes out his phone to discover that he is.

**B: Did you know that the first McRib was served at a McDonald’s in Columbus Ohio in 1982?**

_K: If this is the sort of texting I can expect from you I think I’m going to regret giving you my number._

_K: Also I don’t think that’s true_

**B: Well then did you know the world’s largest basket is in Dublin?**

Kurt giggles, much to Rachel’s annoyance. “Who’s that?” She asks, eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

“ _Blaine_ ,” he mouths silently, as if saying his name will break some spell, then he goes back to his phone.

_K: That’s not better Blaine._

**B: Why not Kurt? I think I’m actually going to get to see it next week.**

_K: Are you actually excited about this?_

**B: It’s a huge basket Kurt!**

Kurt stares at the text.

_K: Oh my god. You’re so strange_

**B: You love it**

_K: Maybe_

“Kurt stop flirting we have a line!” Rachels interrupts.

_K: Rachel says I have to stop flirting and work._

**B: Boo Rachel. But me too.**

**B: I’ll see you later**

Ticket sales are brisk after that, and Kurt doesn’t hear much from Blaine for the next several hours, but at around 11:30 Kurt’s phone vibrates, and when he checks it he sees a picture of Blaine frowning in front of a long line of carnival goers waiting to get on the Ferris Wheel. 

_K: oh no, that looks terrible Blaine_

**B: You could send me one**

_K: Send you what?_

**B: A picture. Of you.**

Kurt stares at his phone long enough for Rachel to notice that he’s not paying attention to whatever she’s been talking about for the past two minutes.

“Kurt? Did you hear what I said?”

“What? No,” he says, shaking his head. She must notice him staring, since she leans over into his space and tries to looks at his phone too. 

“Who’s that?”

“Blaine. He sent me a picture and he wants me to send him one.”

“Oh my god Kurt is he sexting you? What exactly happened on your picnic last night? You are not giving me the whole story.” Rachel stands as tall as her four-foot-ten frame allows, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at him suspiciously.

“Oh for God’s sake Rachel he’s not sexting me.” He shows her the photo, which mollifies her for the moment. He decides to just send him a selfie, but takes nearly two dozen he thinks aren’t good enough, and then they get busy again so he never sends any of them. 

And it stays busy. Apparently everyone in the county decided to come to the carnival for the day because before Kurt realizes it’s time for lunch, Blaine is knocking o n the ticket window motioning for Kurt to come outside. There’s a lull in the line, so Kurt tells Rachel he’ll be back in five minutes and slips out the door.

“I can’t stay,” Blaine says, looking around before quickly pecking Kurt on the lips. “It’s crazy today and I have to bring lunch back to the guys working the Ferris Wheel with me.” He kisses Kurt again, longer this time and Kurt can’t not lean into it. “But I didn’t want to go the whole day and not see you.” 

Kurt smiles back at him. “I know, it’s been insane all day. It seems like everyone wants to eat fried dough, spin in circles, and then throw up today.” Blaine laughs at his terrible joke, and Kurt thinks for a fraction of a second that he could fall in love with this boy...then chases that thought right out of his mind. It can’t happen.

“Hey, everything okay?” Blaine is looking at him with a concerned wrinkle in his eyebrows.

“What? Oh, yeah - everything’s fine, why?” 

“Your face just fell like ten stories in half a second.” Blaine puts his hands on Kurt’s shoulders, making circles on them with his thumbs as he moves a little closer, wide eyes open and questioning. 

This is not good. He leans forward and kisses Blaine to distract himself. Which he thinks may not be the best idea when Blaine wraps his arms around Kurt’s neck and presses him up against the side of the ticket both. 

“I have to go,” he says when he breaks the kiss. “But you never sent me a picture.”

“Oh, I took a bunch, but I didn’t think they were good enough.” He tries to blow if off as annoying perfectionism, but Blaine sticks his hand into Kurt’s back pocket and retrieves his phone, opening the camera and moving so he’s standing next to Kurt. 

“Say cheese, Kurt,” Blaine tells him as he grins and holds the phone as far away as his arm allows. Kurt leans his head on Blaine’s shoulder and smiles, and when Blaine shows him the photo he’s relieved to see that he at least looks cute. And together they look really good. Blaine sends the photo to himself, then thumbs through some of the shots Kurt took earlier. “Kurt these are adorable,” he says, nudging him with his shoulder. “Can I send myself some?” 

Kurt’s impressed that he asked permission before just doing it, and of course he’s thrilled that Blaine wants some of them, so he says yes. He’s not so sure he’d be able to handle having a phone full of pictures of Blaine after he leaves. 

“So, I know your shift ends at 6:30 tonight, but do you think you might be able to get away? Maybe come back later and hang out with me?” Blaine asks. Kurt can’t help but flash to the images of the night before, watching various couples disappear into the back seats of cars. He’s pretty sure that’s what Blaine is asking.

He also thinks he wants to. 

“Yeah, I uh, I’d like that.”

“Your dad won’t mind you coming out so late?” 

Kurt shakes his head. “He and his girlfriend went to Fort Wayne for the weekend. Apparently they’re having some battle of the tribute bands that they both love from their youth, so they’re actually gone until Monday afternoon.” 

“I have to go get the food, do you want to come with? Pick up something for you and Rachel?”

That sounds like a good idea, since the mad rush of people could pick up again at any moment, so he opens the door to the ticket booth to find out what Rachel wants.

“Hi Rachel.” Blaine waves.

“Oh hello Blai - oh my god is that a hickey?” She practically shrieks.

Blaine slaps his hand to his neck in the same gesture as the morning. He’s turning a little pink, but he’s looking more pleased than embarrassed. 

“Kurt you are definitely holding out on me,” she accuses him smugly.

“Fine Rachel, I gave Blaine a hickey.” Kurt sighs. “Do you want French fries? We’re going to get some food before the next rush starts.” He’s trying to ignore her glare, but it’s not easy - her eyes are darting between him and Blaine and she looks like she has more to say. 

She settles on “Yes, fine. And a lemonade,” but she doesn’t say anything else, so Kurt shuts the door and he and Blaine go off in search of lunch. 

Once they have their orders, Blaine gives Kurt a quick cheek kiss and tells him how much he’s looking forward to seeing him later, then heads off to his ride. 

Crossing the crowded grounds on his way back to the booth he practically runs into Jeff, one of the other summer workers. Kurt has seen him around in the employee tent, and hanging out with Blaine sometimes. Jeff manages to catch Kurt’s tray so none of the food lands on the ground.

“Oh god thank you,” he says. “I guess it’s too crowded to not pay attention to where I’m going.”

“Nah, it’s cool, it’s pretty busy today though.” Jeff seems like a nice guy, but Kurt’s not sure what to talk to him about. “Oh and congrats, by the way,” he says, pointing to his neck. Kurt must look confused because he goes on. “Blaine? I saw the hickey - nice job. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Blaine work so hard to get some. I mean, before we got here there were guys crawling all over him the minute we pulled into every town. But seriously dude, it took him almost two weeks to get anywhere with you. Props.” 

Jeff holds up his hand like he wants to do a fist bump, but Kurt’s hands and arms are full, and his blood is running cold. Jeff seems to realize the fist bump isn’t happening though, giving him two thumbs up instead before walking off to wherever he was headed before he pulled Kurt’s heart out and tossed it on the beaten dry grass of the midway.

\--

Mercifully, Kurt doesn’t have a lot of time to think about what Jeff said - or what it means, because when he gets back to the booth the line is twenty families deep and Rachel is frazzled to her breaking point. He sets the food and drinks down and gets right to selling tickets, thankful for the distraction.

Eventually the line slows to a manageable handful of people, so Kurt kicks Rachel out so she can get a ten minute break, and he can have a few moments to think. He slumps in his chair, burying his face in his hands. He doesn’t cry, he’s not quite there yet, but he’s got a lump in his stomach that’s a mixture of disappointment and distrust and heartbreak, but he doesn’t know exactly where to direct it. 

Blaine hasn’t exactly lied to him, so it’s not that. And Kurt knows in his head that someone he’s known for ten days, and just kissed for the first time two days ago, is not exactly offering him a lifetime commitment. But his heart has been telling him something different for the last twenty four hours. Blaine’s affection seemed so sincere, so real, that the thought that Kurt is just some convenient prey hurts. He feels like he knows Blaine, but the truth is he really doesn’t.

When Rachel returns, Kurt is rubbing at his chest, trying to make the ache go away, though it really only spreads it further, making him feel numb everywhere. To her credit, it only takes Rachel a minute to notice that he’s having a crisis.

“Kurt what’s wrong? Ugh these fries are cold.” She frowns at Kurt and then at the box of fries she’s retrieved from where Kurt had set them down under the ticket counter. “You look sick.”

“I think I fucked myself up.” When she frowns, chewing a cold french fry, he goes on. “I really like Blaine.”

Rachel chews silently for a solid twenty seconds. “Not news to me.”

“No, I mean, in the ‘I-know-you-can’t-fall-in-love-with-someone-in-two-days-but-maybe-I-just-did’ kind of like.” He leans his elbow on the counter, dropping his face back in his hands.

“Oh, Kurt.” She sets the fries down, wiping her fingers on a napkin before wrapping him up in a hug. “Did something happen? Does he not like you? He seemed happy enough about the hickey.”

“I thought he did, but now I don’t know what to think.” He tells her about his run in with Jeff, and she makes appropriately concerned and angry faces on his behalf along the way. He also tells her that Blaine asked him to come back tonight, and she agrees that he’s probably looking for a little more than just a fumbling makeout session. “A cute boy has never liked me before, I thought it would be nice to see what that felt like. I had no idea I could compress an entire relationship into a day.” He slams his head back on the ticket counter. 

“Don’t beat yourself up too hard Kurt. He’s been charming to you since the moment you met. And you did go in with your eyes open. You knew there was an expiration date.” 

Kurt rubs his face, running his hands through his hair. “I know. I don’t even know why I’m so upset Rach.” He looks at her, hoping she can help, but she just makes a sad face. “I guess - I guess I just didn’t expect him to be so sincere. I thought he more than liked me - I thought he cared about me Rachel, and I didn’t need him to, not really.” Kurt starts to sniffle just a little, wiping his nose on a napkin. “He didn’t have to make me feel this way.”

They’re interrupted from their discussion by more customers, and the flow stays pretty steady for the rest of their shift. When it’s over they clock out and head to the parking lot. Rachel’s dads dropped her off that morning, but Kurt is going to drive her home. He’s relieved to have the company.. He manages to avoid talking to Blaine completely.

\--

**B: Hey, I missed yu before you left, it was so crazy today**

**B: You**

**B: just wanted to check what time I should look for you? We should be all closed up by 12:30**

Kurt looks at the text and sighs into the empty room. He’s not very good at making up excuses.

_K: I don’t think I can make it back tonight._

**B: Ok well. Ok.**

**B: Is everything ok?**

_K: yeah, I’m just more tired than I thought._

**B: Oh. WIll I see you in the morning? for coffee?**

Kurt wants to say yes. He does. He just isn’t sure yet how he’s feeling. Talking to Rachel helped somewhat, but he still feels like he’s been punched in the heart a little. Although it’s possible he did the punching himself. 

_K: I’ll text you okay? in the morning, let you know._

**B: Kurt did I do something wrng?**

**B: Wrong?**

It’s hard not to be charmed by Blaine fixing his typos, but it’s hard. And he doesn’t want to hurt Blaine, so he gives him a real answer. 

_K: No. You didn’t do anything wrong._

**B: Promise?**

_K: Promise. I really just need some sleep._

There’s no response for a few minutes, and Kurt isn’t sure what to think, but since Blaine is still on a shift he could have just gotten distracted, so he tries not to read too much into it. 

**B: ok, sorry. customers.**

**B: ok. then i guess i should say goodnight. i’ll miss seeing you.**

Kurt closes his eyes, hugging his phone for a minute to keep from getting into his car and driving over to the carnival parking lot. 

_K: good night Blaine_


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to honeysuckle pink for the beta of course, but I did make some changes after she read through so all mistakes are my own.

Blaine is trying not to freak out. 

The rides are shut down for the night, and Sam and Jeff and Nick have all disappeared with girls they met earlier, so Blaine is alone in the camper. He’d spent the entire time since texting with Kurt going over every single thing they did, and everything he’d said to Kurt in the last twenty four hours. He was so distracted while they were locking up the rides that he even forgot to take the key out of the Ferris Wheel control deck and when the site manager came around for final checks he got a bit of a dressing down in front of Sam. Blaine isn’t sure he really cares anymore.

Blaine can’t figure out what went wrong, or if he’s making a bigger deal out of Kurt staying home tonight than he should, but he wants to be out in the parking lot making out with Kurt in the back seat of his tiny car, not alone in a smelly camper, thinking about making out with Kurt. 

It’s still hot, in the 90’s even now, after midnight, so Blaine figures it has to be nearly 100 degrees inside. He’s sweating, and miserable, and is beginning to think joining Sam on this summer adventure was a really bad idea. He hadn’t anticipated getting his heart broken when he’d said yes.

“Shit.” Blaine sits up, rubbing his face. It’s been almost two hours since Kurt texted him good night, but he looks at his phone again anyway, just in case. It’s too hot to sleep and he can’t think anymore. He’s just about to put his shoes on and go for a walk around the carnival grounds when he hears footsteps and noise outside. The door rattles a little, opening to Sam’s cheerful face.

“S’up,” he says, nodding at Blaine. Blaine watches him shuffle through the kitchen area to his skinny bunk in the back.

“You’re back early,” he says. It sounds like he’s accusing Sam of something, so he apologizes quickly. “Sorry.” 

“No worries dude.” Sam just shrugs as he pulls his clothes off. “We just made out a little, it didn’t feel right pushing it,” he says nonchalantly. Sam is one of the few straight boys he’d ever met who didn’t complain when girls didn’t want to do sexy stuff. It’s one of the reasons he and Blaine had become friends. Sam is just nice. Blaine watches Sam strip down to nothing, yanking a towel off of the hook over his bunk and wrapping it around his waist. “It’s gross in here, I’m going to shower.” 

Blaine sits up and leans against the wall, not really watching Sam get into the tiny camper shower they shared with Nick and Jeff. Two months ago he’d at least have blushed at the idea, but the camper smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks (it hadn’t), and seeing Sam (and Nick and Jeff) naked pretty much every day had taken away the allure of - if not boys generally - definitely these boys. At least there are only two more weeks, then he’ll be off on vacation with his parents, and finally off to New York. 

“Still sulking about Kurt?” Sam asks when he gets out of the shower. Blaine had told him earlier that Kurt had cancelled on him, and Sam had teased him a little about it then, but he’d stopped when it had only made Blaine sad. 

“I’m not sulking.” 

“Dude you are totally sulking. You didn’t even stare at my ass when I was taking my clothes off, so I know you’re moping about something. And that’s the only thing I can come up with.”

Blaine throws a pillow at Sam, but he’s laughing a little. “Shut up. I hate you.”

“You love me.” Sam climbs up on the bed next to Blaine and wraps his arms around him. “I’m sure it’s cool. Kurt seems to like you for some reason.” Blaine punches Sam in the side, but he lets his friend hug him. “This is a hot job with lots of dust and contact with the public, and Kurt probably needed to wash his hair like a thousand times or something.”

“That’s not very nice,” Blaine interjects. But the image of Kurt in the shower washing his hair is something Blaine thinks he wants to explore.

“I’m serious Blaine. Kurt’s hair is gorgeous.”

“You’re an ass,” Blaine says, shoving Sam away from him, but they’re both laughing. When they stop Blaine can hear noises outside - probably the other boys. Sam jumps off Blaine’s bed and heads to the kitchenette. 

“I’m sure everything’ll be cool in the morning,” Sam reassures him.

\--

Everything is definitely not cool in the morning. It’s nine thirty and Blaine is pacing in the staff parking section waiting for Kurt to show. 

Blaine had managed to resist texting Kurt until eight am. He hasn’t heard from Kurt at all, but they have to be on the job by ten, so at that point this point they aren’t going to have much time to hang out together. When Kurt doesn’t text him back until almost nine fifteen - and even then it’s was to tell him he was just leaving his house, Blaine knows there is something Kurt isn’t telling him.

When Kurt finally pulls into a parking space, Blaine rushes over to him before he can get out of the car. Kurt gets out, but he doesn’t seem that happy to see Blaine. Blaine doesn’t get angry very often, but his insides feel like a bad mix of nervous and angry right now. 

“Hey,” Blaine says. “I thought you were going to meet me for coffee this morning?” Blaine can see that Kurt definitely does not have any coffee with him. 

Kurt’s mouth curves into a frown. “I know. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to stop.”

Blaine’s mouth hangs open. “You didn’t have -” He’s tilting to the angry side of his wound up feelings now. “I asked you if there was something wrong last night Kurt. You said no, but it seems like there is.”

Kurt’s eyes flash for just a second, and Blaine realizes he doesn’t really know Kurt well enough to know what angry looks like on him. He suspects he’s about to find out, even if he still has no idea why Kurt would be angry at him. That only annoys Blaine more.

“There wasn’t something wrong last night,” Kurt answers. Blaine waits for him to go on, but he doesn’t. 

“That’s it? You got mad at me overnight for something I didn’t do?” Blaine swallows hard. He feels like he’s at a disadvantage in a fight he doesn’t want to be having. “Kurt, please. What’s wrong?”

Kurt exhales a long breath, like he’d been holding onto it. The fight seems to go out of him, but he looks away from Blaine before he says anything.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea if we keep seeing each other.” He seems to notice Blaine’s mouth drop open, and he goes on before Blaine can respond. “You’re leaving Monday.” Kurt holds out a hand, like he’s trying to explain something that should be obvious, but Blaine can’t make any sense of it.

Blaine has an overwhelming urge to ask Kurt if he’s breaking up with him, but he can hear in his head how stupid that sounds. They aren’t boyfriends and Blaine _is_ leaving Monday. Maybe Kurt is right. It’s already going to hurt to leave. Blaine doesn’t know what to say, so he just hugs himself and nods, stepping aside so Kurt can go past him on his way to the ticket booth. “I’m sorry,” he manages as Kurt passes. “If I did anything to upset you, I’m sorry.”

Kurt slows down. “I’m sorry you had to work so hard for nothing,” he says, then walks away. 

It takes Blaine a full minute to realize he has no idea what Kurt is talking about.

\--

Kurt spends the entire walk to the ticket booth trying to pull himself together, and he thinks he almost succeeds. Rachel is already there when he opens the door, though, and all she has to say is “oh my god what’s wrong?” And he breaks down. 

“Rachel I’m so stupid,” he says, taking the tissue she offers. He dries his eyes, thankful that the tears don’t seem to be continuing with any insistence. He tells her about the conversation he had with Blaine, and that he broke things off. “I didn’t really tell him why though. I mean, I don’t know how to do this.”

“Oh I don’t think you’re stupid Kurt. Not about this anyway.” She stops for a minute to sell some ride tickets, continuing when the transaction finishes. “But you know, I’ve seen Blaine look at you, and no matter what Jeff told you it doesn’t look like he’s faking anything.

“And honestly Kurt, you can’t really get angry about relationships a person has before you meet them. Even if I sincerely doubt that anything that happened really qualifies as a relationship,” Rachel says.

“Can’t I?” Kurt glares at her. “Blaine and I didn’t exactly have a relationship either Rachel. No matter how much I wanted to pretend that’s what was happening.” Kurt sniffles. “I wanted it to be real Rach. It felt real.”

Rachel makes a sympathetic face. “Maybe it was real? There’s no rule about how long it takes to develop feelings for someone.”

Kurt shakes his head. “I kissed him for the first time on Tuesday. I don’t know how he could be that invested in such a short amount of time.”

“You are,” Rachel offers.

“Yes well, I’ve never had a boy look at me without wanting to do me physical harm, I’m a hopeless case. It’s not like I’m the first guy Blaine ever kissed. He didn’t need anything from me but sex.”

“You had sex with him? Kurt!”

“Oh my god no Rachel.” Kurt rolls his eyes. “But what else could he want?”

Rachel frowns. “You might be being too hard on him. Blaine didn’t seem like he was such a cad.”

Kurt chuckles at Rachel’s observation, but there’s no humor in it. 

“And besides Kurt. We talked about this. You knew there was a hard limit on this. You were supposed to be having fun too,” she reminds him.

“I know.” She raises an eyebrow at him. “Okay, maybe I forgot. But it’s only because he made me forget.” 

“Well then maybe it’s good that you cut yourself off,” she says.

Kurt is trying to believe that.

—

The rest of the day is just as miserable as the morning for Blaine. It’s Saturday so it gets crowded early. Blaine is assigned to the Tilt a Whirl, so not only is the line long and steady all morning, but he spends his down time thinking about how much fun he’d had riding it with Kurt just three nights earlier. It feels like an eternity ago, and Blaine still doesn’t really understand how everything went so wrong so fast. 

Blaine feels more like a stupid, inexperienced kid than he has in a long time. He’s always assumed he’d be good in a relationship, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to get a chance to prove it, either to himself or to Kurt. Even if he’s not really even in love, he still wants to understand. 

But Kurt had made it pretty clear he didn’t want to see Blaine, and Blaine Anderson was nothing if not respectful of other people’s feelings - even when it hurt - so he spent the day locking carnival goers into cars, admonishing kids to keep their hands inside, and calling maintenance when someone got sick in a car. He only checks his phone ten or twelve times an hour.

\--

Kurt’s shift is over at six thirty, but the day had been so busy that it’s nearly seven by the time he and Rachel are relieved and are walking over to the staff tent to clock out. The sky is overcast, and it definitely looks like it might rain. Kurt silently reprimands himself for being too distracted this morning to thoroughly check the weather forecast. At least he won’t get stuck in it.

“Do you need a ride home?” Kurt asks.

“Actually I don’t,” Rachel answers, a coy smile creeping across her face. “Finn is coming by and we’re going to make a night of it, you know, one last hurrah before I move to New York.”

Kurt rolls his eyes, but not where Rachel can see him. “Rach, you are going to be in Lima for another five weeks. This is hardly going to be your _last_ hurrah. I fully expect there to be a hurrah once a week until September.” He’s teasing her, and there isn’t any real bite to it, even though they both know it’s true. “But you two have fun.” They punch their time cards and head toward the parking lot, where Finn is already waiting for Rachel.

They exchange hellos and a brief update on the whereabouts of their parents. Kurt’s phone had died earlier, and Finn has heard from Carole more recently than Kurt has heard from Burt. 

“I think they saw a Styx cover band last night,” Finn tells him. “And a Foreigner one this afternoon.” He seems excited. 

Kurt makes a face. “I suppose if they enjoy it.”

“Sounds sorta cool,” Finn says. “Tomorrow it’s a battle of the Mellencamp cover bands.” Kurt thinks that sounds like an affront to nature, but Finn’s still smiling so he lets it go. Everyone can’t have his discerning taste in music.

“Okay well, you two have fun.” He waves and walks directly to his car. He’s not wondering what Blaine is doing now, or did he eat dinner, or if he already has his eye set on some other guy. 

-

Blaine assumes it’s because it’s threatening to rain, but the carnival stays packed all day, and there are people everywhere. The lines are so long he barely has time to break or eat, and the closest he can get to Kurt without making some kind of a scene is when he sees him in a concession line. Blaine is a few stands over, and he only has time to get his food and get back to his ride, so all he does is stare. Kurt never once looks up or gives him any sign that he sees him. Blaine assumes he does and just won’t look at him, which only makes him feel worse.

He’s sweat through his company issued t-shirt and cargo shorts, and at some point hears a customer complain that the temperature is ‘near 100 degrees in the shade’. The Ohio humidity is making the air soggy, and Blaine’s emotional state is ricocheting between self loathing and directionless anger. 

Spending the day buckling in riders gives Blaine a lot of time to think. After he gets through regretting every decision he made that got him to this point, he goes over every interaction he had with Kurt, from the first day they met until this morning. He remembers Kurt seeming so suspicious of him at first, so maybe Blaine really was just moving too fast. If that was true then he wanted Kurt to know that it didn’t matter. He just wanted to spend more time with him. He might be able to fix this.

Once the cars on this turn of the Tilt a Whirl are full and he gets the ride started, Blaine pulls out his phone and shoots off a few texts. They look a little desperate when he rereads them, but he decides not to care. He feels kinda desperate.

Blaine feels a little better after that - at least he’s trying to make things right, but when six thirty comes and goes and Kurt doesn’t answer or stop by to say goodbye or anything, Blaine’s mood turns dark again. Feeling desperate that this might be it, that someone he has real feelings for for the first time in his life might disappear from it, he manages to steal ten minutes to run to the parking lot. He knows it’s a long shot, but sometimes Rachel likes to hang around and do stuff when their shifts are over, and he doesn’t want to give up on the idea of seeing Kurt just yet.

Blaine rushes over to the employee section of the parking lot, but Kurt’s car is definitely not in the spot that he parked in when Blaine had met him there that morning. Feeling defeated, Blaine pulls out his phone, hoping for a text, but all there is is a text from his mother to let him know Julliard sent a letter confirming his roommate information and orientation dates for August. He texts her back a ‘thank you’ and lets her know he’ll try to call her in the morning just to check in.

He doesn’t notice the guy coming at him until it’s too late, and his hand is still in his pocket. 

“Fucking little prick,” he hears as someone shoves him and he hits the ground. He’s momentarily grateful that he lands on the grass and not the concrete of the parking lot. Blaine scrambles to get up and realizes it’s the football meatheads from before, the ones who had started in on Kurt. He notices that the one Kurt identified as Dave isn’t with them, and thinks that’s probably not good, when one of the other ones shoves him again. 

He doesn’t fall this time, but his anger is close enough to the surface to push him to fight back, and he shoves the biggest one, shouting, “Why don’t you fuck off?” It’s technically still light out, but it’s overcast, and Blaine can feel fat raindrops starting to fall. Still, someone should notice them.

“I bet you’re a little faggot like Hummel, too.” This time two of them come at him, and he does wind up on the ground, just managing to curl into a ball before he feels the first kick. 

-

By the time Kurt pulls into his driveway it’s clear the approaching thunderstorm is an inevitability instead of a possibility, and he’s relieved to be home for the night. It’s been a hot few weeks and the rain will be welcome, even just for the evening. Hopefully Rachel and Finn will be able to get a whole date in before the rain starts. He’s even sort of looking forward to whatever drama the two of them are going to have for the rest of the summer. At least it will be a distraction. 

He plugs his phone into his bedside charger and takes a quick shower, pulling on boxers and an old McKinley Football t-shirt before exploring the fridge for possible dinner options. Kurt hadn’t expected to be home, so he hadn’t really prepared anything, and his dad’s assortment of microwave freezer meals was down to a sad looking sweet & sour chicken Lean Cuisine and a couple of frozen burritos. 

“I definitely need to go grocery shopping,” he says out loud to absolutely no one, and wonders if he can get away with just eating popcorn for dinner. Rejecting that idea with a sigh, Kurt closes the freezer door and heads to his room to put on some shorts. He can make a quick food run and whip up something with fresh ingredients. He knows it will help him feel better about everything. Besides, there’s only one day left at the carnival anyway, and after that they’ll be gone, and Blaine with them, and his life can get back to its routine. 

Kurt contemplates changing his shirt, but ultimately decides there’s no one he needs to impress at Kroger, and honestly the football t-shirt tends to upend stranger’s reactions to him, so he slips his wallet in his pocket and picks up his phone.

There are about a dozen notifications, so he scans through a few pictures of Rachel and Finn that she sent, a couple of texts from his dad checking in on him and a photo of his dad and Carole at one of the concerts from the afternoon. He texts his dad back to let him know things are fine, then thumbs to the next texts. They’re from Blaine. 

**B: Hey I don’t know what happened, but if we’re moving too fast for you I understand**

**B: I just want to hang out with you, we don’t have to do anything**

**B: Please**

**B: just text me back, or soemthing, I don’t want this morning to be the last time we talk**

**B: I just want to talk**

Kurt can see that they were sent earlier in the day, probably when his phone was dead, and he feels a little pang of guilt for not responding earlier. He’s not entirely sure what he wants to do about it now though, so he grabs his car keys and heads out. 

By the time he pulls into the parking lot at Kroger he’s convinced himself that to not respond would be mean, and even though he’s not sure what to feel about Blaine, he doesn’t want to be mean. Blaine was never actually mean to Kurt, in fact he never treated Kurt badly at all. Blaine probably deserved to know that. So he sends him a text telling him they can talk tomorrow, then heads into the store.

Kurt doesn’t spend a lot of time shopping, just picking up enough for the next few days. He likes to do the long term meal planning with Burt, since either of them might have plans some nights, but even though he’s not in the store long it’s pouring rain by the time he gets out. 

When he’s in the car he checks his phone again, but Blaine hasn’t read his text, so there’s no response to his offer to talk. He should go home, talk to Blaine tomorrow like he told him he would. Blaine’s probably busy having to shut down the rides because of the rain anyway. Still, he’s feeling a little guilty so when he pulls out of the parking lot Kurt turns toward the carnival grounds.

The last thing he expects to see when he gets there is half a dozen police cars, lights flashing in the parking lot. He can feel the adrenaline shoot up his spine as he tries to drive closer to the staff parking, but when he can’t get close he pulls into an empty spot and runs through the rain to get closer.

“Kurt!” It’s Rachel, so he heads in her direction as she and Finn run toward him.

“Rachel what happened?” He’s already soaking, but he doesn’t care. He spares a second to congratulate himself for not changing out of the t-shirt.

“Karofsky’s friends,” she tells him, shouting through the rain. Kurt’s heart drops into his stomach. “They came looking for Blaine, and somehow got him cornered.”

“How is he? Where is he?” Kurt’s looking everywhere, but there are too many people and flashing lights, and Rachel is shaking her head.

Rachel looks up at him, her eyes wide and a little frightened, her hair a soaking wet mess. “Hospital. An ambulance took him to the hospital.” Finn nods. 

“Oh Jesus Rachel - where did they take him?”

“I don’t know, Memorial I guess? The police might know.”

Kurt heads toward where he can see a few officers talking to each other, but detours when he sees one of the crew supervisors, talking to another cop under an umbrella. The supervisor tells Kurt that Blaine was conscious, and they took him to have some x-rays as a precaution, and that Sam went with him. Kurt feels marginally better, and gives the cop his contact information after confirming that Kurt can identify the boys who attacked him the first time. 

Kurt points to where he can see his former high school classmates handcuffed and leaning against a police car. “It’s them. Call me if you need anything else.”

\--

The emergency waiting room is crowded when Kurt gets there, so he has no trouble slipping past the check in station when they call a handful of names to the nurses station in the ER. He finds the curtain Blaine is tucked behind when Sam pops out a few yards in front of him.

“Sam!” 

“Oh hey Kurt.” Sam seems happy to see him, if a little nervous, so it can’t be terrible news. “Blaine’s in there,“ he points to the area behind the curtain, “but they’re taking him up for x-rays now.” 

Before Kurt can ask any other questions Blaine is wheeled out on his hospital bed, he’s wearing a hospital gown but he’s conscious, like Rachel had said. 

“Kurt? How did you get here? Never mind - hey stop a sec,” he says to the orderlies. “Kurt don’t leave. Please. Wait for me okay?” He seems a little loopy.

“They gave him some painkillers,” Sam tells him.

Blaine nods. “I feel funny.”

“Oh god Blaine,” Kurt grabs his hand for a second. “I’ll wait, okay?”

Blaine nods as they roll him away.

Kurt looks at Sam. “Tell me everything.” 

Sam fills him in, and since Blaine has been awake in the ambulance he knows most of the story. The guys jumped him in the parking lot, but someone noticed them fighting pretty quickly and called the cops. They arrived before anything really bad could happen, but Sam and some of the other guys had gotten there faster and so they really didn’t beat on Blaine for long.

“He says he doesn’t think anything is broken, and he’s had broken ribs before, so,” Sam says. “But he’s probably gonna be bruised tomorrow.”

Kurt sits on the chair in the tiny ER space, remembering that he’s soaking wet as he does. 

“He’ll be fine,” Sam says, and Kurt knows Sam is trying to reassure him, so he smiles weakly. “Are you going to stay? Because I need to make a couple of phone calls, so if you’re good?”

Kurt nods. “I’m staying. It’s okay. Go take care of whatever you have to.”

Sam pats him on the shoulder and walks off, phone already at his ear, and Kurt is sitting alone in the ER. Blaine’s soaking wet clothes are in a puddle on the floor, so he picks them up and looks at them. Honestly he has no idea how Blaine is going to get back into them in their current state, and he doesn’t think the hospital provides clothes to go home in. It’s probably too late for him to do anything about it though.

By the time Sam comes back Kurt has already decided to take Blaine home to his house when he’s discharged. He’s convinced himself that Blaine will recuperate better somewhere where he can get some rest, and he can provide it. He isn’t sure what he’s feeling about anything, but he does know that Blaine wouldn’t be here in the hospital if those idiots hadn’t targeted him for standing up for Kurt before. Kurt feels like it’s something he can do to pay him back.

It might give them some uninterrupted time to talk, too, and Kurt would like to talk to Blaine. 

“Is he not back yet?” Sam asks. He can see there’s no Blaine though, so he continues. “I talked our staff supervisor and he doesn’t want Blaine to work tomorrow.” Kurt nods.

“Makes sense.” Kurt wants to ask Sam if he thinks bringing Blaine to his house is a good idea, but he waits for Sam to finish.

“Yeah. He also said the weather is predicted to be bad enough that we might not open at all, so you might get a phone call in the morning telling you not to come in either - so don’t be surprised.” 

“Well we haven’t had a big summer storm in a while, so we were due,” Kurt says. Sam doesn’t seem to have anything more to add, and Kurt kind of wants to know Sam’s opinion, so he goes on. “I was actually thinking I would take Blaine to my house, after they release him, you know. So he can recuperate.” Kurt is trying to be cool when he says this, and doesn’t quite look at Sam, but Sam isn’t actually stupid. He frowns, but looks at Kurt intently, as if he’s trying to figure him out. 

“Dude. He likes you, and he was a mess all day after you blew him off. So if you’re doing this to mess with his head then don’t. He’ll be fine.” Sam is very serious when he says this, and Kurt is genuinely at a loss for how to respond, but Sam goes on. “But, he really likes you. And you’re here, which says something about, well, that you may actually care about him. And if you do? Well, i’m sure he would appreciate it.”

“I’m not trying to mess with him,” he says to Sam, and that seems to be good enough for Sam. “This is kind of my fault.”

Sam shakes his head. “I can see why you might feel that way, but it’s the fault of those assholes. But it’s nice you want to help, so cool.”

They don’t make much more conversation, and it’s near eleven by the time Blaine is brought back into his cubicle. Kurt listens to the doctor fill Blaine and Sam in - the x-rays were negative and nothing is broken, so Blaine needs to ice his ribs and take it easy for a couple days but that should be enough. The doctor gives him some instructions on over the counter pain medication, Blaine and Sam thank him, and they wait for his discharge paperwork. 

“Thanks for staying Kurt,” Blaine says when the doctor leaves. They’ve removed his IV and he seems to be a little less loopy than he was earlier. “How did you know what happened?”

Kurt sighs and hugs himself, glancing at Sam, who seems only slightly oblivious. “I got your texts,” he tells Blaine. “I texted you back, but when I didn’t hear from you I thought I would just come by and see what you had to say.” 

Blaine smiles at that. “Really?” 

Kurt shrugs. “I want to talk. Just maybe not tonight.”

“Blaine, dude,” Sam interrupts. “I’m going to head back, so I can get some sleep. Kurt - you’re sure?”

Kurt nods, but Blaine looks confused. “Yes.”

“Cool. Blaine, call me if you need anything, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. Thanks Kurt,” he says, gripping him on the shoulder before leaning over to give Blaine a hug.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Blaine asks, looking between Kurt and Sam, but Sam just waves goodbye and walks away. “Kurt?”

“I checked with Sam, and he said he thought it was a good idea, since you won’t be working for a couple days,” Kurt starts to explain. “But I thought I’d bring you back to my house so you can get some comfortable rest tomorrow. If that’s okay with you.” When Blaine frowns, Kurt goes on, nervously. “Or if you don’t want that, I can drive you to the fairgrounds, that’s fine too.”

“You want to bring me back to your house?”

“Yeah.” Kurt moves when the admin shows up with Blaine’s paperwork. “If that’s okay?”

“It’s okay.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forever thanks to honeysucklepink for the beta, there was wrangling involved. 
> 
> I know Kurt’s bedroom is canonically in the basement pre-Burt/Carol marriage, but it just made things too complicated.
> 
> Also, I really thought there would be hanky panky this chapter, but they just wanted to be awkward. But at least they’re getting it together, right?

It turns out that the biggest bruise Blaine has is on his ass where one of his assailants must have kicked him, so he’s a little slow walking out of the hospital. Kurt wraps a strong arm around his back and holds him up as he limps beside him to the hospital exit. They don’t talk much, other than to make sure Blaine is comfortable enough and can keep up with Kurt’s pace. 

It’s still pouring rain when they get outside, but there’s a wide canopy over the pickup area, so they stop there to get settled.

“Are you okay to wait here?” Kurt asks. “I can get the car and then you don’t have to limp through the rain.”

Blaine nods and leans up against a huge planter, grateful that it’s not overflowing with water, and watches Kurt disappear into the midnight rain. While he waits he checks his phone out of habit, sure it must be dead by now. He’s more than a little surprised that it wasn’t lost in the melee, but he’s got 10% battery power and a few texts from Sam.

_**S: I probably should have checked with you first, but Kurt wanted to help. I hope its cool. If not I know he’ll drive you back here and we can take care of you.** _

**_S: I feel like I should tell you that there’s water leaking in the camper over the kitchen sink and it smells like Nick and Jeff have been having a fart contest, so full disclosure._ **

**_S: Actually can I stay at Kurt’s? I promise not to be a third wheel_ **

Blaine laughs, and he can feel it in every muscle in his body. _Ow_.

**B: I can ask, he’d probably be ok with it**

**B: And no thanks for the olfactory reminder. I have been traveling with them for weeks.**

He’s surprised when Sam texts back immediately.

_**S: olf what? Whatever I’m fine here. But I’ll check in on you tomorrow** _

**_S: Oh and tell kurt we are definitely not going to open tomorrow, they already decided, i think there’s a squall line coming through or something. someone said there might be tornadoes_ **

**_S: so you two work your shit out or have fun or whatever_ **

**B: thanks Sam**

Just before he thumbs his phone closed he sees the text from Kurt. 

_K: I want to talk. Tomorrow ok?_

Blaine blinks. Kurt had texted him back. He checks the time and sees it’s marked 8:23 pm, so Blaine figures he must have been getting his ass beat when it came in. It makes him feel just a little better though. Kurt had wanted to talk to him. 

Kurt pulls up moments later, so Blaine doesn’t have a lot of time to think about it. He wanted to see Kurt, Kurt is here, and Kurt is taking him to his home. Beyond that he’s sore and groggy, and sure he’s going to have a delayed reaction once the painkillers they gave him really wear off. He’s just not sure whether the reaction will be mental or physical.

“Hey,” Kurt says, offering a close lipped smile that looks a little on the stiff side. “Hang on while I try to make this more comfortable.” 

Blaine watches Kurt adjust the seat, pushing it all the way back and reclining it as far as it can go. He retrieves a blanket from the trunk, laying it out on the seat before coming over so Blaine can lean on him as he hobbles to the car.

“I’m really going to feel all of this in the morning,” Blaine says, hoping it might break the ice a little.

“I’ve got some extra strength Tylenol at home, hopefully that’ll help a little?”

Blaine shrugs, but he’s in the car and getting settled, so he just says thanks.

Kurt drives slowly as he pulls out of the parking lot, careful of the rain and the little other traffic that’s out at this hour in this weather, but he obviously knows where he’s going so Blaine closes his eyes. He’s sure he could fall asleep in thirty seconds. After about ten he blinks his eyes open.

“I thought you hated me,” he says. His exhaustion is apparently making him bold.

Blaine is reclined too far back to see the side of Kurt’s face from this angle, but he thinks Kurt is chewing on his lip. Finally he just lifts one shoulder. 

“I thought you liked me,” he says, eyes ticking to Blaine and then back to the road. “It hurt to find out it wasn’t true. Then I just felt stupid.”

Blaine wriggles around until he can get an arm under his side and prop himself up enough to look at Kurt. 

“Kurt, I like you. I don’t know what I did to make you think it isn’t true - but since I have no idea what I’m doing, please tell me and I won’t do it again.” 

Kurt looks like he’s about to answer, but the car slides a little on the road, so he clamps his mouth shut and refocuses on driving, which is fine with Blaine. He hopes Kurt believes him. 

"Jeff said, that you, um, hook up a lot." Blaine can feel his heart pounding against his chest. “And I guess I wasn’t sure what to feel about that.”

"Jeff? _Jeff_ said?” Blaine twists in his seat, getting stuck in the seatbelt when Kurt has to brake to miss a large puddle in the road. “When were you talking to _Jeff_? About _us_?”

“I wasn’t,” Kurt glances at him then puts his eyes back on the road, but Blaine can see him swallow hard before he goes on, words spilling out. “He said something to me, about your hickey. He said he’d never seen you have to work so hard to _get some_ , and then tried to high five me for playing hard to get. Or anyway, something to that effect.” Kurt pauses and Blaine doesn’t know if he should be pissed off or if he just feels pathetic. 

Blaine inhales a long slow breath, feeling the ache in his ribs as his lungs fill with air. He watches Kurt drive for a few minutes, and knowing that Kurt can’t really look at him makes it easy to stare. Kurt is gorgeous, and Blaine will admit to himself in this moment that it would have been nice to save his firsts for someone like Kurt, rather than giving them away to strangers. But he knew what he was doing when he made those choices. 

“Did you?” Kurt asks, and Blaine realizes they’re going to do this now.

“Hook up with other guys? Yes, a few. I don’t think it’s the parade of strangers you seem to be imagining Kurt.” Blaine isn’t entirely sure how much of an explanation he owes Kurt, so he wants to be careful. “I didn’t know you.” He didn’t feel like he owed Kurt any kind of apology.

Kurt shakes his head. “I know, I know that. I don’t think that you owe me any explanation for any - for that.” Blaine relaxes a bit at that confession. “It’s just - god this is so embarrassing. You seemed so,” Kurt stops and stares out the windshield. “It would have been okay, you know, if you were just messing around. You’re nice enough, I know it’s pathetic that I’d never kissed a boy before -”

“Kurt it’s not. It’s not at all it’s -”

“Wait let me get it all out.” Kurt glances at him and Blaine quiets, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Kurt. “But then you took me on that date, and the picnic. God, I fooled myself into thinking it meant more to you. That I meant more.” Kurt stops. “It sounds stupid I know. You don’t even know me.” Kurt shakes his head, but it’s clearly in disappointment at himself and not Blaine.

Before Blaine can answer Kurt turns into the driveway of a compact, single level ranch, activating the automatic garage door opener as he does, and pulling into a spot in a tidy garage. The unrelenting drum of the rain quiets a bit, then even more when the door rolls shut. Blaine’s senses feel like they’re going into shock in the sudden quiet.

“Wait here.” Kurt puts a hand on Blaine’s arm, then pops out of the car. Blaine watches him unlock the door that must lead into the house, disappear for a brief moment and then come back, opening the passenger side door to the Beetle to help Blaine out. 

They don’t talk, other than Kurt asking how Blaine is doing as they maneuver up the three stairs that lead into the kitchen. Blaine looks around as they shuffle through the tidy kitchen and to a dining table tucked into a little alcove between the kitchen and what must be the living room. It’s cool and quiet compared to the noise of the rain and the heat from outside. Blaine is trying to take in as much as he can - it’s Kurt’s home and he wants to know everything.

Kurt helps him maneuver into one of the dining chairs. It’s hard and wooden without a cushion, but Blaine thinks he can sit, so he lets himself slip out of Kurt’s hold onto the chair. He can’t stop the wince as he shifts to take the weight off of his bruised ass. “This is nice,” he says to Kurt. “Thanks again.”

Kurt makes a non-committal noise. “It’s home. And don’t thank me, it’s the least I can do. You wouldn’t be in this boat if you hadn’t put yourself between me and those jerks before.”

There are a lot of things Blaine wants to talk about with Kurt - but he doesn’t want Kurt to think Blaine blames him. 

“ _Kurt_. This is not your fault.”

“That’s debatable,” he answers. “Hang on I’ve got some groceries in the car.” Kurt runs back out to the garage and comes in with both arms full of bags. “I don’t know if you can eat, or even if you’re hungry, but most of this should still be okay.” Blaine watches carefully as Kurt starts unpacking the bags. “I was actually out grocery shopping before I stopped by the carnival to see you -”

“You came to see me?” 

“I decided I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to talk. ,” Kurt says. “When I got there the police were there and I got pretty scared. At first I thought maybe there was an accident on one of the rides, but then I saw Rachel, and, well.” Kurt stops talking and finishes unpacking the bags, all the time not really looking at Blaine. “Are you hungry?” He asks again.

“I could eat. But Kurt,” he pauses. “I meant it. All of it.” Kurt is standing, worrying his fingers as Blaine talks. “You’re different.” 

Kurt scoffs. “People have been telling me that for years.”

“No, I mean it. I wanted to spend time with you. I mean, the kissing is great, but you - you’re _more_.” Blaine feels gross and smells like hospital and his damp clothes are drying like cement against his skin. “I think we have more to talk about, maybe, but I feel gross and I’d really like to get cleaned up, if that’s okay?”

Kurt’s eyes go wide. “Oh god, oh of course Blaine. I should have thought.” Kurt takes the few steps from the kitchen, and offers Blaine his arm. “You’re not too tired? It’s nearly -” Kurt stops to look at a clock on the wall. “It’s nearly one am. You must be exhausted.”

“I am,” Blaine answers with a yawn. “But I’m also disgusting.” 

Kurt doesn’t disagree - he feels b=pretty horrible too and he hasn’t been through half of what Blaine has. He helps Blaine down the hallway to the bathroom, tepping in ahead of him and picking up a few things off the floor so Blaine can join him in the small space. If Blaine wasn’t so exhausted he’d think Kurt was being adorably nervous. “My dad has his own bathroom, so I’m usually the only one who uses this one, well, unless we have guests. Which we don’t have too often.”

Blaine looks around. The tub is white, the walls are painted a pale grey, and grey sink cabinets sit under the white sink. There are shelves over the toilet that hold a wide selection of bottles and pots and tubes. He leans one hand on the sink to keep himself upright.

“Kurt I don’t think I can take a shower, I don’t think I can stand up and, um, wash myself?” Blaine hears his voice slip up an octave, and feels himself blush at the thought of Kurt helping, because he can’t not think about it. He notices that Kurt blushes too. “Would it be okay if I took a bath instead? I don’t know if I’m too gross for your tub, or what, but god -”

“No problem - bath it is,” Kurt stops him. Kurt starts to fill the tub, then searches through the shelf. “Bubbles? I’ve got cedar and some peppermint and tea tree oil.” Kurt holds up two smallish bottles.

“Sounds fancy,” Blaine says, unable to hold back a smile. “I’d love some of the peppermint one.”

Kurt nods. “Excellent choice.” After adding the bubbles he steps out in the hall, returning a few minutes later with a towel and some clothes for Blaine to wear after. “It’s just my old gym shorts and a t-shirt.” Kurt bends over the tub and shuts the water.

“Great. Thanks.” Blaine clears his throat. “I mean it. Thanks for this.”

“It’s the least I can do, really,” Kurt answers, but he’s hugging himself and looking a little uncomfortable. “Do you need anything else, before I go?”

Blaine is pretty sure he’s about to make the moment even more awkward. “Well, I sorta need some help getting my clothes off,” he mumbles, and Kurt stares at him for a full five seconds, unblinking. “I think I can get my shirt, but I can’t reach my shoes, and I need some help stepping into the tub.”

Kurt looks like he’s considering not doing it, but he says, “Okay. Um, where do you want me to start?” He’s kind of looking Blaine up and down, and Blaine can see him blush just a little. Blaine tugs at the hem of his shirt, and Kurt reaches his arms to help, stiffly pulling the shirt over Blaine’s head. Kurt is definitely staring at Blaine’s chest, and it takes a minute to realize that he’s got a bruise a couple of inches long on his right side. “Oh, it doesn’t hurt too bad. It’s the one on my butt that’s making it hard to move.”

“Okay. Do you want to try to sit while i take off your shoes?”

“I think I should stand. I want to save my sitting for getting into the bath.” Kurt nods and drops to the floor, and Blaine thinks this might have been a stupid decision because Kurt’s head is practically in his crotch as he unties Blaine’s sneakers and carefully lifts Blaine’s feet out before pulling off each sock. Blaine thanks any diety that might be watching that between the fight and the drugs and the almost complete exhaustion, popping a boner right now is pretty much physically impossible. 

“How do you want to -” Kurt waves at Blaine’s shorts.

“I think I can just undo them and let them drop.” He unbuttons them and pushes them over his hips so they drop on the floor, and he’s left in his underwear. Kurt makes a noise that sounds like something between a choke and a whimper, but he swallows it fast and looks at Blaine. 

“How about you turn around and I’ll hang onto you, and you can push those off and I’ll brace you while you get into the tub?”

Blaine does as Kurt suggested, but he laughs to himself when Kurt comes up behind him and puts an arm around his waist. He steps over the edge of the tub and reaches out for Kurt’s hand, but it’s about a foot in the wrong direction. “Kurt?” Blaine turns his head slightly and can see Kurt’s eyes are shut tight. “Are your eyes closed?”

Kurt grimaces, but they stay closed. “Yes?”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Blaine says softly. He doesn’t want Kurt to be uncomfortable.

He feels Kurt take a deep breath, then let it all out in a sigh. “It’s not that - well it’s sort of that, but it’s just,” Kurt stops as Blaine slides into the tub and under the bubbles and Blaine moans. It feels great and he hurts all over. Kurt takes a step back and continues. “It’s just that in all the times I imagined seeing you naked, this particular scenario never really came up.”

“You imagined seeing me naked?” Blaine squeeks. Kurt nods and covers his face with his hand, but Blaine can see how red he is. “Oh.” He should probably say something else, but Kurt is already moving toward the door. 

“Do you think you’ll be okay for a little bit? I’m going to go clean up and change and be back to get you out.” Blaine lets him know he’ll be fine, and Kurt gathers Blaine’s dirty clothes up off the floor and exits the bathroom, leaving Blaine to soak. And think.

\--

When Kurt shuts the door he thumps hard against the wall and gasps for air so loudly he’s sure Blaine must hear him. “What am I doing?” 

He doesn’t really have a lot of time to think about it, though, so he drops Blaine’s clothes on the hall floor and strips down to his underwear, leaving everything in a pile. He’ll wash them later. He takes a quick shower in his dad’s bathroom, but he’s too overwhelmed to even consider getting a hand on himself, even with the fleeting images of Blaine’s body still fresh in his mind. It’s too much.

Kurt showers quickly, then dresses and makes a snack, setting it out on the coffee table in the living room. He’s gone past exhausted to wired, and figures it can’t hurt to eat something. When he’s finished he stands outside the bathroom door long enough to center himself, then knocks.

He hears ‘come in’ from Blaine, and when he opens the door he’s surprised to see Blaine sitting on the edge of the tub already wearing the shorts Kurt left him, his hair dripping wet. Kurt graps an extra towel and helps Blaine dry his hair..

“Impressive,” Kurt says. He’s a little relieved he isn’t going to have to wrestle Blaine into his clothes. He’s not sure he could have done it with his eyes closed. 

Blaine smiles weakly. “I felt a little better after soaking, so I thought I’d give it a try.” Blaine has the t-shirt balled up on his lap. “It was harder than I expected.” 

Kurt takes the shirt from Blaine and helps him get it over his head. While Blaine is pulling the shirt down over his torso Kurt notices the bruise on his ribs. It looks a little painful, but not as bad as it could be. Kurt’s had bruises that size from being shoved into lockers. It’s the scar just below the bruise that really gets Kurt’s attention. 

He knows Blaine gets into fights. Sam has hinted as much, and Kurt’s seen it first hand twice now. But seeing the scars of what must be the broken ribs that Sam referred to is still upsetting. He just doesn’t know if he has any right to ask about them.

Blaine refuses Kurt’s help getting to the living room, but seems grateful for the softer seat of the couch, and lets Kurt set up pillows around him so he doesn’t have to put all of his weight on the bigger bruise. 

“I just made a few sandwiches,” Kurt says, sitting down next to Blaine. “I’m ready to collapse but I don’t want to wake up with a starvation headache. I hope pb&j is okay.”

“I am a red-blooded American boy Kurt,” Blaine teases. “Peanut butter is perfect.” 

They don’t talk much, it’s all either of them can do to keep their eyes open at this point, and Kurt thinks he can just about stay awake long enough to eat a sandwich. Blaine easily puts away the other two Kurt had made.

After Kurt cleans up the plates he finds an extra toothbrush, then leads Blaine toward his bedroom. Blaine hesitates before crossing the threshold. 

“This is your room?”

Kurt nods. “I was thinking you could sleep here, and I can sleep in my dad’s room if you want.” Blaine is looking at him, not nervous exactly but definitely curious, waiting for Kurt to go on. “And I don’t - I don’t want you to think this is weird, and you can say no. I can sleep in here with you, if you’d rather. That way of you wake up and need anything I’m right here, or if you need to get up you don’t have to stumble around.” Kurt can feel his face heating up and Blaine must be able to see. It’s not like there’s anything to distract him from looking at Kurt. “But I can sleep in my dad’s room if that’s too weird.”

“Actually Kurt, that sounds great. I mean if you would stay. I’m going to be asleep in about ten seconds anyway. It would be nice to not be entirely alone”

Kurt nods and sets about getting the bed ready, pulling off the coverlet and putting some pillows in place for Blaine to sleep on so he doesn’t roll over onto his back in the night. Once Blaine is settled Kurt lifts the sheet and climbs in nervously next to him. Inside the house they rain isn’t so loud, and they can barely hear the thunder in the distance. Kurt tries not to freak out. He’s somewhat concerned that he will not be able to sleep at all with Blaine in bed next to him, but when he turns to check on Blaine before he turns out the light, Blaine’s eyes are closed, and the features of his face have all softened in sleep.

Kurt sighs and lies back onto his pillow. It’s awkward but not awful having Blaine here. He feels like they still have some things to talk about, but maybe it wasn’t as bad as he had convinced himself it was. Tomorrow will be interesting.

\--

A huge clap of thunder jolts Kurt awake. As he’s blinking the clock on his side table into focus a second boom, closer and louder, rips through the night. Next to him Blaine sits up with a frightened cry. 

“Blaine?” Kurt reaches out in the dark but Blaine pulls away, so he turns the light on and tries again. “Blaine, it’s me. It’s Kurt. It’s okay, it’s just thunder. The next part of the storm must be rolling through.”

Blaine is panting, but this time when Kurt reaches for him he buries his face in Kurt’s chest and wraps his arms around Kurt’s body. Reflexively Kurt wraps his own arms around Blaine, pulling him closer and breathing into his ear. 

When Blaine pulls away he isn’t crying exactly, but his face is flushed and he’s still breathing hard, though Kurt can hear it slowly returning to normal.

“Are you gonna be okay?” He asks.

Blaine sniffles and nods, pressing his forehead to Kurt’s shoulder. “Nightmare.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kurt reaches over and turns the light on, and Blaine sighs and sits up, wincing as he leans against the headboard. “Or a Tylenol? Do you need some water?”

“Both, please. That sounds good.”

When Kurt goes out he sees the time - 4:30am. They’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours. When he returns Blaine takes the pills with water, leaning back against the headboard and closing his eyes. When Kurt climbs in he’s close enough to touch, and Blaine shifts until he’s leaning into Kurt’s side. He starts talking, light from the hallway spilling into the bedroom.

He tells Kurt about how when he was in middle school he took another boy to a dance and got the shit kicked out of him. He tells him about his broken ribs and time in the hospital, and how he took up boxing after that so he’d have something to rely on if it ever happened again. 

“It’s why I couldn’t just stand there and let those guys say those things to you, Kurt.” Blaine shifts again, and his nose is rubbing into Kurt’s throat. Kurt swallows, and he can feel Blaine hum. “I guess I’m having some flashbacks, after everything that happened.” 

Thunder booms overhead, and Blaine tenses under Kurt’s arm. “And I don’t really like thunder. So thank you for letting me stay. I’d be freaking out in the camper right now.”

“You need to stop thanking me Blaine,” Kurt says quietly. Blaine turns so he can look at Kurt’s face, eyes wide and so sincere. _This is bad._

“Why is it bad?” Blaine asks.

“I said that out loud?” Kurt slaps a hand over his mouth, but Blaine reaches for it and pulls it away.

“It doesn’t have to be bad, Kurt.” Blaine is much, much too close, and he’s staring at Kurt’s mouth, and Kurt wants to kiss him. Or he wants Blaine to kiss _him_. “Are we okay?”

Kurt shakes away his desire and shifts, and he feels Blaine deflate next to him. He’s not sure he knows what being okay with Blaine actually means. It was easy to think Blaine didn’t care for him when he only had his imagination to fuel all of his fears about other boys and how they felt - or didn’t feel about him. 

But it’s harder, with Blaine right there. This whole night has been so weird and tense, and Kurt right in this minute would really like to hold Blaine. For both of their sakes.

A flash of lightning cracks loud outside, followed so closely by a roll of booming thunder that Kurt thinks it must have taken out a tree at the end of the block, and Blaine jolts on the bed next to him.

“I still want to talk about some things,” Kurt says when the thunder passes. Blaine looks at him, a little nervous but listening even in the half dark. “But right now I really want to kiss you.” 

“You do?”

Kurt shifts back under the bed sheet, rolling to face Blaine. “I do. But I have no idea what that means.”

“We can talk, about anything you want.” Blaine winces as he rolls toward Kurt so they are lying face to face. “Ask me any question,” he offers quietly. “Do you want to talk now?” 

Kurt leans forward and kisses him. Blaine’s mouth is warm and soft. “Kiss now,” he says between presses of his lips against Blaine’s. “We can talk in the morning.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the home stretch for real, one more chapter after this. No warnings, and yes, M for this chapter - but it's a soft M. 
> 
> Thanks as always to honeysucklepink for the beta!

The only possible explanation for how Blaine feels when he wakes up is that an elephant must have sat on him overnight. His back hurts, his left butt cheek hurts, it hurts when he breathes and his arms don’t want to help him get out of bed. 

He knows he’s in Kurt’s bed, that part he hasn’t forgotten. They definitely fell asleep kissing. Or, Blaine fell asleep kissing Kurt. Kurt may have been up longer, he’ll have to ask him. If only he could move. Kurt’s bed is so comfortable and the sound of the rain on the windows is so soothing that Blaine would like to never leave this spot.

He and Kurt still have some things to talk about, though. Blaine was shocked last night when Kurt finally explained why he had been so upset with him, but lying here thinking about it now - well, he wants to murder Jeff - but also it’s possible Kurt may have gotten some wrong impressions. Blaine wants to fix that. 

With Hulk-like effort Blaine manages to get into a half sitting position, his butt complaining loudly that it doesn’t really want to be sat on yet.

“Hey sleepyhead.” Kurt comes in and sits on the edge of the bed, setting a few thing on the side table, including a bottle of ibuprofen and a glass of water. “How are you feeling?”

Blaine stifles a yawn. Kurt has super adorable bed-head, bangs hanging over his forehead that almost reach his eyebrows, and he’s still in his pajamas, but he looks more awake than Blaine feels.

“Okay. Sore. Like I could sleep for a year,” Blaine answers. “But also grateful.” He reaches over to drum his fingers on the back of Kurt’s hand, and Kurt responds by tangling his fingers with Blaine’s. It’s a small gesture but Blaine’s heart swells with relief when he does it. “Thank you. I can’t imagine how terrible last night would have been in the camper. I really do appreciate what you’ve done, Kurt.”

Kurt smiles at him, but waves off the thanks. If it’s not the shy, flirty smile Blaine was getting earlier in the week, it at least seems genuine, so Blaine will take it.

“I made some breakfast, if you’re hungry. I don’t know what you want to do since it’s going to rain all day, but I’ve got a ton of movies we could watch, or if you think it would help I can get another bath going. Or you could just sleep if that’s what you’re up for.” 

Every muscle in his body feels like screaming, but Blaine is not going to sleep away a chance to spend the day with Kurt, and hopefully earn Kurt’s trust, if not his affection. After last night he believes he can.

“Hungry.” When Kurt laughs he goes on. “But I might take you up on the bath again later. Everything hurts.” Blaine winces when he tries to stretch his muscles. 

“Oh, here.” Kurt takes one of the bottles he’d brought with him. “Arnica. For the bruises. It might just be a placebo effect, but it helped me when I had them. And I brought you some more pain killers.” Kurt gestures to the side table. “Come on into the den whenever you’re up to it.” Blaine wants to ask about the bruises Kurt alluded to, but Kurt is up and out of the bedroom before he can.

When Blaine finally makes it out of the bedroom he’s overwhelmed in the best way by what he sees. Spread out on the coffee table is a bowl of cut fruit and a basket of muffins, with a full pot of coffee sitting next to what looks like a warming dish. Blaine can’t see what’s inside, but after five weeks of eating microwavable breakfast sandwiches from 7-Eleven, Blaine wants to throw himself at Kurt’s feet in gratitude. He doesn’t, but he wants to.

“Kurt this looks amazing,” is what he says instead, settling onto the sofa. 

“Do you need a pillow or anything?” Kurt asks, after Blaine struggles to get comfortable. When Blaine nods, Kurt helps him shift around until he is both comfortable enough to sit and upright enough to eat. It’s slightly awkward, but Blaine doesn’t really mind all the touching. “I thought it would be easier for you out here than sitting at the table, is that okay?”

Blaine reaches for one of the muffins. “Are these blueberry? When did you have time to get muffins?” 

“I made them this morning. You’ll have to let me know if they’re up to coffee shop standards.” Kurt blushes and lifts the lid off the warming dish. “And I made scrambled eggs - it’s important to get some protein in too.”

“You made -?” Blaine breaks a muffin in half and puts the entire half in his mouth. It’s delicious. “Kurt these are amazing. I can’t believe everything you’re doing for me. You really don’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble Blaine, I usually cook for my dad anyway, and well, he’s not here.” Kurt stops and swallows, then turns to look at Blaine. “And I’d like to start over, if we could. With less confusion.”

Blaine finished chewing the rest of the muffin, swallowing while he meets Kurt’s gaze. “No.” He shakes his head. “I don’t want to start over.”

Kurt looks away, and Blaine can see how disappointed he is before he says anything. “Okay, I -“

“No Kurt, wait. Let me finish. I don’t want to start over because I don’t want to waste how far we’ve come. I don’t want to forget our first date or the first time I kissed you. I want those moments to stay with us, whatever we might have - however long or short it lasts. We’ve only got until tomorrow morning, and I want to make the most of it.”

Kurt’s eyes are big, and Blaine can’t quite read what he might be feeling, but now that he’s started he just wants to get it all out.

“I sort of got the feeling last night, when we were talking in the car, that what you think I’ve been getting up to is a lot more scandalous than the truth of it.”

Kurt’s still watching him, not quite skeptical, but unsure of where the story is going.

“What I mean is that just because I made out with a few guys in the parking lot doesn’t mean I have a lot of experience either. I mean, I barely knew their names.”

Kurt’s expression is blank, and Blaine runs his hands through his hair. This is coming out all wrong. 

“I don’t mean I just messed around with anyone.” Blaine tries to clarify. “It’s just that -”

“They didn’t mean anything,” Kurt finishes. 

“Exactly,” Blaine says, and for a fraction of a second he thinks that’s an explanation, but he can see Kurt’s expression wobble. “Kurt. You aren’t like them.”

“You keep saying that. But I don’t know how to know if that’s true.” Blaine watches as Kurt silently fills a plate with eggs and fruit and a muffin and then sit back and eat quietly.

“Do you want to know why I took this job? With Sam at the carnival?” Kurt doesn’t say anything, but he does look at Blaine, so he continues. “Five weeks ago I had never kissed a guy either. Sam talked me into coming with him this summer because I didn’t want to go off to college in September a completely inexperienced dork from Ohio who didn’t know any more about sex than what he’d seen on the internet.” 

“So, what have you experienced?” Kurt asks. He’s trying to be casual about it, but he’s blushing crimson to his eyebrows. “Have you just made out with these guys? Like what we’ve done?”

For a second Blaine doesn’t want to answer. He almost wants to say it’s none of Kurt’s business - partially because it isn’t, but also because he’s not entirely proud of himself. 

But then he looks at Kurt and realizes Kurt’s not actually judging him - but he is curious. 

“Your silence speaks volumes,” Kurt says.

“I’m not ashamed of anything Kurt, and I don’t regret anything I did. I mean, it all felt good in the moment. But honestly? Afterward it didn’t feel like much. And it only happened a few times before I had had enough.” Blaine doesn’t really want to go into too much detail unless Kurt really wants him to. But there was one thing he did want Kurt to know. “Then I met you. And I wanted to find as many excuses as I could to spend time with you.”

Kurt is still quiet, but he looks like he’s thinking about everything that Blaine said, so Blaine finally helps himself to some of the rest of the food Kurt had put out. He’s in dire need of coffee too. 

“Can I confess something too, while we’re laying it all out there?” Kurt asks. Blaine nods and Kurt goes on. “At first? I thought the same thing. It was two weeks, tops, what could it hurt? You were the first guy - my own age anyway - that looked at me with any sort of interest. And Rachel said - she suggested, I mean, that maybe you were interested in me and I could just have a little fling and, well.” Kurt looks sheepish for a moment, then he shrugs. “Then I wouldn’t be an inexperienced dork from Ohio either, not that I’m going anywhere.” Kurt refills both of their coffee mugs and then sits back against the arm of the couch so he can look at Blaine, his hands cradling his mug. “But then you were so sweet to me.”

“I swear, I meant everything I said, Everything I did.” Blaine shuffles forward, taking the mug from Kurt’s hands and setting it on the table before taking both of Kurt’s hands into his own. “It feels so incredibly unfair that I finally meet someone special,” he looks at Kurt, hoping he can see just how sincere he really is, “and circumstances conspired to impose an expiration date.”

Kurt shifts so he’s closer, and he’s definitely holding Blaine’s hands, and Blaine can see him looking at his mouth. So he takes the leap, moving in to kiss him, and Kurt kisses back hungrily. 

They don’t stop. Kurt runs his hands over Blaine’s body, gasping when he reaches the muscles in his arms. Blaine’s proud of those muscles — he’s worked hard all summer and he’s happy he’ll at least have a nice body to show for it. When Kurt keeps going Blaine does too, running his hands over Kurt’s chest, over his clothes, but when Kurt whines into his mouth Blaine pushes on, sliding his hands under Kurt’s shirt so he can get them on his skin.

“Blaine.” Kurt pulls away, but Blaine keeps kissing his throat. “Should we, um.”

“Hmmm?” 

“Do you want to, um --”

It takes Blaine a second, but he eventually realizes that Kurt is trying to get his attention. “Is everything okay? Do you want to stop?” Blaine sits back, wincing when he lands on his bruise. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to push.” 

“Blaine, no, it’s okay. I want to, I -- do you want to move to the bedroom?”

Blaine isn’t sure he heard right. “What?”

“I just thought you might be more comfortable lying down.” Kurt is flushed to his ears, and Blaine would find it adorable if he wasn’t about to get horizontal with the sweetest, hottest guy he’s ever met. “I don’t want to accidentally make things worse in the moment, you know?” Kurt is starting to look a little less sure of his question. “Unless you don’t want to?”

“Oh! No, I mean yes! Yes, I want to. I mean if you do.” Blaine glances to the food all still out on the table. “Should we put this away?”

Kurt stands and holds out his hand. “No.”

\--

The bed is still messy, and Kurt pushes the sheets over the foot of the bed as he climbs in. He doesn’t know if he should sit up or lie down, or what he should do at all, actually. So he sits. 

“Is this more comfortable?” he asks, hoping Blaine can’t tell how completely terrified he is of what’s about to happen. And he doesn’t even know what’s about to happen. “Did you want to lie down?”

Blaine shuffles over on his knees and pulls Kurt into a quick kiss before pressing him down onto the bed. “This is more comfortable,” he says as he hovers on his hands and knees over Kurt. “Is this okay?” Kurt nods.

Then Blaine's mouth is on his neck, and he’s sucking small kisses into Kurt’s skin, and he gasps with each press of Blaine’s lips. Kurt isn't sure what to do or where to put his hands or how to breathe. Blaine is straddling his thighs, knees pressed against them, his arms extended on either side of Kurt’s head and he keeps asking if this is okay, if Kurt is okay, does Kurt want him to do anything, but somehow the only part of Blaine that is touching him is his mouth over and over and over and it doesn’t seem to be enough. Blaine kisses his neck, his jaw, below his ear, across his cheek and after each careful press of mouth to skin he brushes his mouth across the corner of Kurt's and asks him again, _is this okay?_ and _tell me if it’s not okay._ Kurt can't imagine how it could not be okay, and he really wants to tell Blaine that he doesn’t have to be so careful because it is _so_ okay.

Kurt's hands are grasping at the sheet, and he's hard and his hips are shifting into air, into nothing, and he thinks Blaine is hard too but he can't see, because his head is bent backwards so Blaine can get at his neck easier and he thinks he has never felt anything so good or so right in his life, but he still can't tell if Blaine is hard because it’s his mouth that’s everywhere and his body is too, too far away, and Kurt doesn't know where to put his hands. 

"I ca-d-don't," but that's all that comes out.Blaine's lips drag slow across Kurt's skin, as if he can't separate from it, and Blaine mumbles against him, _sorry, I'm sorry, I'll stop_ , and Kurt can't have that so he gathers all the sense he has left and says _no don't stop I just_ , _just what?_ Blaine is so careful and Kurt wants to touch him so bad. 

"I don't know where to put my hands."

Blaine pulls back, just enough to see Kurt's face to look into his eyes with an open mouthed grin. "Where do you want to put your hands Kurt?"

Kurt tugs a little on Blaine's shirt, ruching it up toward his shoulders, and places his hands gingerly on Blaine's waist, careful to avoid any obvious injury, and Kurt's whole body lights up because no one has ever wanted him to touch them like this, and Blaine is all gorgeous skin and taut muscle and he smells like everything Kurt has ever wanted (and a little like Arnica, but that’s okay too). His thumbs press into the skin just at Blaine's hip bones and Blaine makes a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine and presses his mouth to Kurt's again, lips parted, tongue insistent, until Kurt licks back and can't help but shift his hips toward Blaine because he wants so very much for Blaine to get closer, to press his whole body against Kurt but Kurt doesn't know how to ask, so he keeps pulling Blaine but Blaine is resisting and maybe, maybe he doesn't want that.

But that doesn't make any sense because he literally can't stop kissing Kurt so he must want more of something, so Kurt keeps pulling, his hands moving under Blaine's shirt and over the skin on his back until finally Blaine pulls further away, leaning back as Kurt follows with his body and sits up in front of him, Blaine rests his forehead against Kurt’s.

"Kurt, I want, I want --” And it just sits there and Kurt doesn't know. 

"You want?" Kurt asks, like he really has no idea and he doesn't.

"I want to so bad, but if I touch you I won't want to stop and I need to know if it's okay, if you want to not stop too. With me. Now." 

Kurt leans in and kisses him, less frantic. "I want to. Not stop, I mean, I want to touch you too." He kisses him again, pulling Blaine's shirt up and whispering, "Can you take this off?" 

Blaine nods and pulls his shirt over his head a little gingerly, tugging at Kurt's right after. "Okay?" 

Kurt nods and Blaine tugs and Kurt can see Blaine's eyes go wide and his lips part as he stares at Kurt's chest and his shoulders, but Kurt isn't done. He slips a finger under the elastic of Blaine's sweatpants, careful to avoid the flat waistband of his briefs. "Maybe these too?" He breathes. He wants more skin, but he's not sure how ready he is to be completely naked. "Blaine?" 

Blaine is almost panting now, _okay, okay_ and Kurt can see him swallow. "I never, um, I've never been --”

Kurt doesn't know what he's going to say so he waits, one hand on Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine looks unsure for the first time since they started kissing on the couch. "I've never, um, done this before, with _ahh_ , no clothes on." 

He's staring over Kurt's shoulder, but ticks a quick glance back to Kurt. Kurt can only give him the truth right now. “Me either.” Blaine nods. “We don’t have to get completely naked yet, if you’re not ready,” Kurt offers. Blaine wriggles out of his shorts, and he’s left in a snug pair of Kurt’s underwear. “God that’s hot,” Kurt exhales. 

The corner of Blaine’s mouth ticks up, and he kisses Kurt back down to the mattress. And he keeps going, he kisses Kurt’s throat and collarbone, down his chest until he tongues over one nipple. When Kurt gasps and bucks his hips, Blaine does it again, and again, until Kurt is writhing under him, one hand buried in Blaine’s hair, the other gripping him anywhere.

When Blaine gets to Kurt’s belly button, he licks over it slowly, hooking his fingers into Kurt’s sweatpants. Kurt pushes up onto his elbows, and Blaine looks at him. “Can I?” Kurt nods, and Blaine pulls them off quickly, his attention returning immediately to where Kurt’s cock is thick and obvious in his briefs. Blaine’s hand hovers over it, and Kurt watches as he licks his lips over and over. He wants to close his eyes and let Blaine do whatever he wants, but he doesn’t want to miss anything either. “I want to touch you,” Blaine asks, looking up at him with the question in his eyes. 

Kurt nods again. “Uh huh.” 

Blaine’s palm is on him quickly, rubbing unsure over his fabric covered cock, until he finally grips the shaft and jerks him a few times in his underwear. Kurt falls back to the bed, but it’s not enough. Any hesitation he had about being naked with a guy, with Blaine, goes out the window and he reaches for Blaine’s wrist, slowing him down. “Wait. Get these off.” Kurt thumbs under the elastic and stretches it over his cock as it flops back onto his hip with a soft smack. Blaine stares, then sits up just long enough to strip completely naked.

“Ready now.”

Kurt can’t stop himself from touching, and he wraps his hand around Blaine’s cock, eyes wide as a drop of fluid pearls at the head. Kurt thumbs over the drop, over the soft head as Blaine curses quietly, a hand in Kurt’s hair. “Fuck, don’t stop.” 

Kurt jacks him slowly at first, wonder and intense arousal churning in his belly. He goes faster when Blaine whines _harder_ , his hips thrusting as he fucks into Kurt’s fist. Blaine loses his balance, propping himself on outstretched arms as Kurt falls back again on the bed. “I’m gonna come,” he whines, kissing Kurt hard before throwing his head back and coming into Kurt’s fist and onto his stomach as Kurt jerks him through every spurt. 

“Oh my god,” Blaine exhales, laughing and kissing Kurt again, a bit longer this time. “I was gonna do that to you.”

Kurt isn’t sure what to do, so he wipes his hand on the sheet with a nervous chuckle. “Was that okay?”

“So okay.” Blaine kisses him again, wrapping his hand around Kurt’s cock as he does. “God you feel good.”

Kurt wants to say something hot, or seductive, or any other thing you’re supposed to when you have sex, but all he can do is moan and thrust into Blaine’s hand. Blaine doesn’t seem to mind though, and he keep talking, _gorgeous_ , and _so hot_ , and _fuck Kurt_ spill from his lips. Kurt can tell he’s close, and he spreads his thighs just enough to reach between them, rubbing below his balls and Blaine chokes sliding his hand next to Kurt’s.

“Oh god let me, please Kurt.” Kurt can only whine and close his eyes, as Blaine presses his thumb along Kurt’s perineum. _Blaine_ he finally manages, spreading his legs further. Blaine slips a finger between his cheeks, pressing, _pressing_ , as he jerks Kurt’s cock faster and Kurt doesn’t know what he wants more and he can’t help pressing against Blaine’s finger, thrusting into his fist, finally lifting off the bed, come splashing across his chest, hitting Blaine across his chin. Kurt wants to think it’s gross, but it’s not and he can’t breathe, so he just thumbs the droplets off of Blaine before he drops to the bed next to him.

“Oh my god,” Kurt gasps. “ _Ohmygod._ ”

“Kurt that was so hot,” Blaine says. He’s lying on his back next to Kurt, but his head is turned so he’s looking at him, and Kurt can see desire still in his eyes. 

“It was,” Kurt answers, then he starts laughing. Blaine grins and in moments is laughing with him. They giggle together for a while, and when Kurt finally catches his breath, he mouths “Thank you” at Blaine.

Blaine shakes his head slowly. “It was amazing for me too Kurt, no thanks necessary.” Since Blaine is the slightly more functional of the two, he goes to the bathroom for a warm washcloth, cleaning up the worst of the mess before climbing back into bed next to Kurt. “Nap,” he says, pulling Kurt into his arms. 

\--

Kurt wakes about an hour later with his body half sprawled over Blaine’s, his mouth open to a trail of drool on Blaine’s chest.

“Oh gross,” he whispers out loud, wriggling away to discreetly wipe his mouth.

“Hey,” Blaine says softly, and Kurt rolls back to his side to face him.

“I think I drooled on you.” 

Blaine smiles. “You did a lot of things on me.”

“Oh my god.” Kurt turns his head and buries his face in the pillow.

“I hardly minded.” Kurt can feel Blaine’s fingers tracing over his shoulder, down his arm, finally resting on his side. He opens one eye to peek at Blaine, but he’s just laying there looking at Kurt, one arm curled under his head and the other still drawing on Kurt's skin.

“What time is it?” Kurt can’t see light coming brought the window shades, but with the rain it could be any time. 

“No idea,” Blaine says. He makes some squirmy motion that Kurt thinks might be an attempt at a shrug, then dips his head to place a soft kiss on the corner of Kurt's mouth. “But not that late, I don’t think.”

Kurt takes a few moments to look at Blaine. His hair is tousled, his lips pink but no longer as irresistibly plump as after they’d been kissing all over Kurt’s body. His eyes are bright, even in the dim room, and such a clear shade of hazel they looked almost yellow. Kurt runs a hand over Blaine’s chest, stopping at the purpling bruise. “How do you feel?”

“Hmmm, like someone beat me up.” He smirks, but Kurt isn’t sure it’s funny. 

“Does that happen a lot?” He asks. 

Blaine looks confused. “Does what happen a lot?”

“Getting beat up?’” He’s tracing the scar on Blaine’s ribs with a finger. 

“No? Just that first time. And well, weirdly this summer. I did take boxing lessons after that first time, but I have to be careful with my hands.”

“Oh yeah, why?”

 

Blaine mimes playing the piano. “I start Juilliard in September. I need to be able to play.”

Kurt sits up and stares down at Blaine. “What.” It’s barely a question. 

Blaine looks a little sheepish. “I play piano.”

“Why has this never come up before?” Kurt is overwhelmed by the idea that Blaine plays piano well enough to get into Juilliard, but he’s more startled by the realization that even though the past two weeks have been filled with Blaine, and he feels like he has a pretty good idea of who he is as a person, he really doesn’t know anything about Blaine’s life. 

Blaine sits up and puts a hand on Kurt’s leg, obviously looking to re-establish a connection that Kurt can feel is a little shaky. “I don’t know? There’s no piano at the carnival?” Concern flickers over Blaine’s features. “Kurt, is there something wrong?”

Kurt considers Blaine for a long moment. He’d definitely assumed a lot of things about him over the past few weeks, starting with the day he dropped out of the camper at the garage. Kurt’s laugh is self-deprecating. “No, no nothing’s wrong Blaine. I just -- I think I need to take some of my own advice about not making assumptions about people a little closer to heart.”

Blaine still looks worried though. “Like what?”

“This is going to sound stupid.” Blaine squeezes Kurt’s fingers. “I don’t know, when I met you you were driving an RV and working for a carnival. I guess the last thing I expect from a carny is admittance to Juilliard?”

Blaine grins and chuckles. “Yes well, we’ve had to rush a few things.” 

Kurt smiles, feeling bold enough to lean forward and kiss Blaine on the mouth. “I guess so,” he says quietly. Blaine kisses him back, but they stop before it can get too heated. “How would you feel about a shower and a movie marathon? We can spend the evening playing twenty questions and see how much we don’t know about each other?”

Blaine’s answering smile is bright and soft. “That actually sounds amazing.”

\--

Blaine is sitting at the kitchen island while Kurt makes him a care package of homemade sandwiches and snacks for the next few days, then Kurt is going to drive him to the site. They have to tear down today and get on the road to the next, and last, stop. He’s dressed in his clean carnival uniform - it turns out that Kurt is a wonder with stain removal, though Blaine shouldn’t be surprised. Kurt is good at everything. It might even be the cleanest Blaine has ever seen it. 

“So remember to be careful. It’s only two more weeks Blaine. Please don’t do anything that would keep you from New York, okay?”

Blaine shakes his head emphatically. “No way. I’m not touching anything the rest of the summer.” Kurt rolls his eyes. “If there’s even a chance you’ll be in New York. Kurt, I’ll be there waiting.”

Kurt sighs and puts the last sandwich in a bag. “If I get in you’ll be the first person I tell. I promise.” Kurt packs everything up in an extra bookbag he had that he wasn’t using, and hands it to Blaine with a quick kiss. 

Blaine can’t resist looking through the bag when they’re riding in the car. There is definitely more in there than just a few sandwiches. He feels around and pulls a t-shirt out. It’s Kurt’s _Hummel Tire and Lube_ t-shirt.

“Kurt, I love this,” Blaine says, his voice thick with emotion. 

He can see Kurt’s worrying his lips with his teeth, and his answer is teasing, but Blaine can hear how vulnerable Kurt is feeling. “It’s really for all the guys you meet the rest of the summer. Warn them off.”

“There won’t be any other guys Kurt,” Blaine says. And he knows it’s true.

“You can’t know that.”

“I can. I do.”

“Well, just don’t forget about me, okay?”

“It would not be possible for me to forget about you.”

They pull into the parking lot, and Kurt gets out with Blaine, walking him to the trailer. The other guys have already gotten started with the teardown, so Blaine needs to join them. 

“Okay?” Blaine asks.

Kurt nods, but doesn’t say anything, so Blaine pulls him close, kissing him solidly on the mouth. 

“I will text you,” he says when they break apart. “And I will call you when I can.”

“Just be safe, okay?” Is all Kurt says. Blaine says he will, and Kurt gets in his car and drives away.

\--

Later that night Kurt is getting ready for bed -- his nighttime moisturizing routine has not been getting the attention it needs, and Kurt fears his skin is starting to show it -- when he gets a text. His dad is home from his trip and asleep already, so it can’t be him. He knows who he wants it to be, but he makes himself finish his routine before he checks. 

When he thumbs open his phone he sees it’s a photo, and he clicks on it to find a picture of Blaine, messy hair and huge smile, wearing the t-shirt Kurt gave him. Seconds later another text comes through. 

**B: I’m all yours**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the last chapter! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone for reading, and thanks to honeysucklepink for all the help beta-ing this monster for me (although she wasn't available for this chapter, so this chapter is unbeta'd. *crosses fingers*)

Kurt is finishing Mrs. Leahey’s oil change when he feels his phone buzzing in his back pocket. He knows it was Blaine, he had flown out with his parents two days earlier for their summer vacation in the South of France (and Kurt wasn’t at all jealous, no he was not), and he’d only had reliable wifi at the airport. But he is supposed to be arriving at their hotel today and Kurt had been expecting a text for the past couple hours.

 **B: Have you heard anything yet?**

_K: I told you you would be the first person I tell._

_K: So no._

Kurt still hadn’t heard from NYU about his admission, and Blaine was almost as eager as Kurt to get some news.

**B: :-(**

_K: Yes, me too_

_K: Are you having fun?_

**B: we jsut got here. i’m at the bar with mom**

_K: that doesn’t really answer my question_

**B: oh, it definitely does.**

**B: not really, on hte fun**

**B: but I am drinkning nice french wine**

**__** _K: wow I’m not at all jealous. Please tell me more about this french wine_

Blaine doesn’t text right back, so Kurt assumes he got distracted and starts cleaning up his work area. It’s late and he’s ready to go home and shower off the garage. According to Blaine, his mother liked to bond with him when they were on vacation, so that meant spending a lot of mother/son time.

**B: what are you wearing?**

**__** _K: seriously?_

**B: yeah, are you at the garage? what time is it there?**

**__** _K: just finishing up, so still in my coveralls_

**B: send me a picture?**

_K: Blaine!_

**B: you look hot in those**

**B: you know i like it**

**__** _K: omg_

**B: come on Kurt**

Kurt sighs to himself, but he’s going to take the picture. It’s not the first time Blaine has asked, and besides, Kurt has a whole folder of photos that Blaine has sent him over the past few weeks. All of them fully clothed, all of them adorable.

In the time it takes Kurt to get to the locker room, where the light is a little better for selfie-arrangement, Blaine does send a picture. It’s framed around his face, with one side of it resting on his hand. He looks a little worn from travel, and a little rumpled, and — Kurt thinks — completely adorable. He’s even wearing a bow tie. 

And that’s another thing. Since Blaine’s stint with the carnival ended Kurt has noticed that Blaine’s appearance has gotten progressively neater with every photo he’s sent. Mostly it’s his hair, which has gone from a mop of curls of varying length to something much more neatly presented. Kurt hasn’t asked him about it, but he can’t say he minds. 

_K: you look adorable. Exhausted but adorable_

**B: well I am both**

Kurt grins and, after several attempts, sends Blaine a photo he’s happy with

**B: oh wow**

**B: I wish I was alone in my room right now**

_K: omg_

**B: no I mean it, you look amazing**

_K: I look sweaty and covered with motor oil_

**B: and I love it**

Kurt bites his lip. Blaine does that a lot — tells Kurt that he loves things about him, his hair, his collection of vintage scarves, his sense of humor. When they were playing 20 questions the day before Blaine left, he spent an excessive amount of time telling Kurt how much he loved his voice, once Blaine had convinced him to sing for him. It’s far, far too early Kurt to think he’s in love, but it’s still nice to hear from a cute boy.

**B: oh I gotta run**

**B: mom is trying to get the bartender to do shots with her**

**B: I’ll text you tomorrow. Night**

_K: night Blaine. Don’t drink too much_

\--

Kurt is down in his basement sewing room altering some vintage jeans he bought off ebay when he hears his dad come lumbering down the stairs.

“Kurt! Kurt an envelope came! And it’s a big one. That’s a good sign, right?” 

Kurt’s pretty sure he knows what’s in the envelope. He’d been notified by email three days earlier that he’d been accepted. He hadn’t said anything to anyone because he was afraid it would wind up as some kind of clerical error and not be true. Yet another cosmic joke in the misadventure that had been his life. He hasn’t even told Blaine. 

“Are you gonna open it?” His dad is practically bouncing. 

“Calm down,” he mumbles, hoping his dad is too excited to be upset with him for being testy. Kurt swivels around on his seat, closing his eyes and holding out his hand for the envelope. He thinks he might pass out.

Kurt doesn’t realize that he’s shaking until his dad puts a hand on his shoulder and he stops. “Kurt? Do you want me to look first?” Burt asks. 

Kurt manages a hoarse, “No, I can do it.” 

The envelope holds a few sheets of paper, some glossy brochures, and a printed letter. Kurt puts everything down but the letter, looking at his dad once before reading it out loud.

“Dear Mr. Hummel, Congratulations! We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted as a matriculating freshman at New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, General Studies program….”

There are some other words, but Kurt doesn’t care about those right now. 

“I’m in Dad.” He manages a dry swallow and looks at Burt. He wants to say something else, but his tongue won’t work, and it wouldn’t matter anyway. Burt wraps him so tightly in his arms Kurt is pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to do anything other than squeak.

“I’m so proud of you Kurt,”Burt chokes out, and Kurt can hear the tears in his father’s voice.

\--

The rest of the summer is a blur. Since he’s a late admission he has a ton of things to do and not a lot of time. There are forms to fill in, deposits to make, and classes to register for, never mind the formidable task of deciding which clothes to bring with him to New York. 

He didn’t get accepted to the Musical Theater program, but there are classes in the program available to him, and when Kurt finally gets someone on the phone in the admissions office they tell him that if his grades are good and he’s willing to audition again, he should be able to transfer in for sophomore year, if not the winter semester. That’s good enough for Kurt.

They only thing that’s less than perfect is Blaine. Blaine had been so ecstatic when Kurt texted to let him know he was moving to New York that he’d called him on the phone from France and they spoke for half an hour. But he’s seven solid hours ahead time-zone wise, and Blaine’s mother seems to think she needs to monopolize all of his time on their vacation in case Blaine decides to never come home or visit or call, just like his brother never does. So they text, but they don’t catch each other as often as either of them would like. The weekend Kurt leaves Lima for New York City they hadn’t had any contact in two days. 

—

By the time Blaine’s plane lands in New York he’s worked himself into a worried mess. His mother had been annoyed when he told her he was going to have to leave their vacation early to make his orientation weekend in New York, so she decided that the best way to deal with that was to monopolize every minute of Blaine’s time while they were in France. 

That means he and Kurt were almost never texting each other in real time, and by the time his plane lands in NY the Friday he’s supposed to start orientation, it’s been days since he’s actually had contact with Kurt. Blaine has heard stories about how you people live in New York for years without seeing friends who live mere blocks away, and he’s determined for that not to happen to him and Kurt. 

So Blaine gets checked in and drops his bags at the holding area -- they aren’t even getting their room assignments until after dinner, then finds a quiet spot. His phone still has some juice, so he shoots off a quick text to Kurt. He doesn’t want it to be too pushy, but he needs to let Kurt know he’s here.

**B: I’m here! In New York!**

**B: I don’t know if you’re here yet, but I’d love to see you!**

Blaine stares at his texts. _I’d love to see you_??? That sounds like something he’d send his cousin. Before he can come up with something more in tune with the actual excitement he feels about finally being in the same city as Kurt, his orientation section leader calls for everyone in the group to turn their phones off and pay attention. Blaine does, but only because he wants to send the perfect message, so he needs time to compose something.

\--

Kurt’s flight is late. He’s supposed to register at 4:30, get his dorm key, move in, and then attend a snack and non-alcoholic drinks party in the common area starting at 5:30. When he finally frees his luggage from what has to be the most run down looking carousel in any airport in the US, Kurt has already decided that he’s not going to risk taking the bus into Manhattan. It’s worth spending some of his limited cash to get where he needs to be. He stands in the too long line for a taxi, looking around at the people and the cars and the bustle. For a moment nothing else matters. Even the airport is thrilling in New York.

Kurt calls his dad once he gets in a cab, and again when he gets to the dorm. His admission information had told him he was going to be in a triple -- one of the unfortunate side effects of being a late admission, but he didn’t realize exactly what that would mean. The room is _small._

His roommates have been there for a week, and both of them have already been through orientation. Jeremy seems nice, and had claimed the single bed and the desk under the window. Kurt doesn’t meet their other roommate right away, but Jeremy tells him his name is Joe. Kurt is silently grateful that Joe took the top bunk by choice, so at least Kurt doesn’t have to worry about falling out of bed in the middle of the night. But Kurt is going to have to do some adjusting. 

When he gets back to his room it’s after eleven, but Kurt feels a little more relaxed. Thankfully his roommates are still awake, so he doesn’t disturb them while he makes up his bed and gets ready to sleep. They chat and ask him simple questions about where he’s from and what he’s studying, and they both seem nice and happy to be in New York too, so Kurt is hoping he’ll be able to make the living arrangements work. Kurt takes a quick shower in the communal showers down the hall, and when he finally crawls into bed he’s asleep before he can count to ten.

\--

“So, did he text you yet?” 

Blaine is having breakfast with two of his suitemates -- David and Wes -- and apparently he’s already talked about Kurt so much they’ve both become invested in his attempts to make contact. 

Blaine tries not to let his disappointment show when he answers, but he can tell by the sympathetic looks Wes is giving him that he’s probably not that successful.

“He, uh, texted me when I was in the shower. He’s got orientation all day, but he’s here. In New York.” Blaine doesn’t tell them that Kurt had pre-emptively cut off seeing him at all for at least a week by telling him how full his schedule was. At least that’s how it had felt to Blaine. “We’re trying to set a time to get together.” Kurt’s dad was coming in the next weekend to bring him all his stuff, so it was looking like almost two weeks before they’d be able to see each other. 

“Blaine,” Wes starts. “You’re going to be pretty busy too, you know? Between class and group projects and meeting with your advisor, you’re not really going to have a lot of time to yourself for a while.”

Blaine pokes a straw into his milk carton, too aggressively. “I’ve never had any trouble keeping up with my schoolwork.”

“Dude, this isn’t like high school. You’re at Juilliard. You’re going to be practicing Lizst until your fingers bleed.” David watches him poke at his eggs. He doesn’t really want to eat them. “Are you gonna eat those?” 

Blaine pushes his plate across the table toward David. “I’ll be fine.”

“Look Blaine, I’m not trying to be harsh, but it’s really common for high school romances to not survive the move to New York - or anywhere, actually. You’ve both gone off to college. You’ll both want to be taking advantage of that freedom, won’t you?”

Blaine blinks and looks at Wes. He’s not -- “Kurt’s not my high school boyfriend.” He doesn’t miss the skeptical way David and Wes look at each other before returning their attention to Blaine. “We met over the summer,” Blaine hurries to explain. “We discovered we were both going to be going to school in New York City and we --” Blaine hesitates. Maybe Kurt doesn’t want this as much as he does? He doesn’t know how to know the answer. Blaine thought he did. Kurt seemed to be worried about whether he would get to New York at all, but maybe he wasn’t sure about Blaine either? “We wanted to connect once we got here.”

“It hasn’t been 24 hours Blaine,” Wes rolls his eyes. “Get settled. You have time to work it out.”

Blaine wants to believe that, so he forces a smile. David starts telling them about a girl he met yesterday in the drama program, and Blaine tries to let himself be distracted.

\--

“I don’t know Rachel, it’s been like three weeks and we can’t seem to connect.” Kurt has Thursday mornings open, so Rachel offered to come down and meet him at the diner around the corner from his dorm. “Maybe he doesn’t really want to see me?” He orders pancakes from the waitress and hands her his menu.

“Ooh, are the pancakes vegan?” Rachel asks the waitress, who just glares at her with one eyebrow raised. Rachel closes her menu and pushes it to the edge of the table. “I’ll have the pancakes too.” Once the waitress leaves she turns her attention to Kurt. “Do you really think that? I mean, this is only the second time we’ve managed to get together since we’ve both been here. New York is a busy place. Everyone has obligations.” Kurt considers this. He’s been busy, but he really does want to see Blaine. “I mean, have you just come out and asked him?”

Kurt frowns. “Not really? We just keep not being able to find a time. If it’s so hard to find time for each other now, what does that say for us being able to have some kind of real relationship?”

“Well,” Rachel says, and Kurt can tell it’s her ‘helpful Rachel’ voice, so he braces himself for whatever is coming. “What have you been doing instead of seeing Blaine?”

Kurt had to think about that. “I had orientation -- but so did he, and then Dad brought the rest of my things, and he was here for about five days and we did a bunch of tourist stuff. And there have been a few informal mixers in the dorm that I wanted to go to since I don’t know anyone -- and did I tell you one of my roommates is gay? Jeremy? He seems to know people here, so I went to a party with him.” Kurt stops. The party had been mostly people their age, but it was a first for him. “Honestly Rachel, I’ve never been in a room with so many other gay men. It was kind of intimidating.” 

“But kind of great?” She asks. When Kurt nods she gives him a gentle smile. “There’s a lot to discover in New York, Kurt.” 

“Yeah. I guess.” The waitress brings their pancakes and Kurt watches Rachel drown hers in syrup before he indulges himself and does the same. “I was just hoping one of the things I would discover would be Blaine. We had such a good connection. I want to see what that could be.” 

“So stop deflecting the issue. Text him a time and place and tell him you’ll meet him there. What about brunch? Ooh! Or karaoke tonight! You said he liked to sing. Maybe he’d want to meet us there?” Kurt had agreed to go out that evening with Rachel to the NYADA student bar for karaoke, but that didn’t really seem like where he wanted to finally reconnect with Blaine.

“Too many people,” he says. “And brunch is always so loud. I want something more intimate.”

“Okay, then coffee, late afternoon on Saturday. Just do it.”

“What if he’s not interested anymore Rach?”

Rachel shrugs. “Then at least you know, right?”

Kurt hates to admit the sense of her suggestion, but he really doesn’t want to wait any longer. He has so many things he wants to _tell_ Blaine. Everything that’s happened and everything he’s done. He wants to hear all about Juilliard and Blaine’s weird but cool sounding living arrangements (because they had at least traded that information. Blaine has a single room in a suite and Kurt would kind of like to see what exactly that means). 

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Why wait Kurt? Text him now.”

Kurt silently thanks the universe for putting Rachel in his life, even if she’s a pain in his ass. She knows just when to push. Kurt unlocks his phone, taking a minute to compose a text that doesn’t sound weird. 

_K: Hey are you free on Saturday afternoon? like 4?_

_K: There’s a great coffee place a couple blocks from here_

_K: Can i buy you a coffee?_

When Blaine texts back an emphatic **yes!! send me the deets** not thirty seconds later, Kurt grins to himself and goes back to his pancakes, ignoring the satisfied smile on Rachel’s face. 

They spend the rest of breakfast chatting about Rachel’s courses and the people she’s met at NYADA, and all of the opportunities she’s sure to have ahead of her, and Kurt is happy to let her go on for a while. He can use the break from the inside of his head.

\--

Kurt double checks the address before they leave the subway, but the neon sign spelling out _Callbacks_ in glowing red script makes it obvious. He’d invited Jeremy to come with him, as a thanks for inviting him to his friend’s party, as well as the dozen other ways he’d been helpful since Kurt arrived. Apparently he is also a karaoke enthusiast, and the more people who are willing to get up and sing, the more fun the night would be.

Inside the bar is more crowded than Kurt expected. 

“It’s Thursday,” Jeremy explains, leaning into Kurt. “New Yorkers always go out on Thursday. Friday and Saturday are for the bridge and tunnel crowds.” Kurt nods, filing this away with all of the other information he’s been gathering. He spies Rachel over in one corner with a few people who must be her NYADA friends, and points her out to Jeremy who returns Rachel’s exuberant wave. 

They work their way to the bar to get some non-alcoholic drinks, since the bartenders are very obviously checking IDs, and Jeremy provides a running commentary while they wait on the level of hot guys in the room. Kurt has been very grateful to discover Jeremy could be as vicious as he was about the outfits some people wore.

“Oh my god, that is some suit,” Jeremy points out. “At least he’s got an ass to match it, yum.” 

Kurt laughs and turns around to check out the target of Jeremy’s judgment.

At the other end of the bar is a group of sorta loud guys, but they’re singing - not causing trouble, so no one seems to care. One of the guys, with his back to Kurt, is wearing a dark magenta suit - just to the right side of pink, but not _pink_ \- with a grey windowpane pattern. It’s not exactly loud, but it sure is eye catching, and a little much for a night out at the bar. After a few seconds of staring Kurt thinks he actually recognizes the suit from a Brooks Brothers catalog from a few seasons ago, which explains why it kinda works. As he looks down the backside of the wearer he has to acknowledge that he does indeed have the ass to pull it off. 

Reflexively, Kurt glances away. The urge to look away before he gets into trouble is still something he’s trying to shake, but here in a NYADA karaoke bar, filled with drama students and other performing arts folks in an obviously wide assortment of sexual orientations and identifications, he’s finally safe. So he looks back. It is a _nice_ ass.

So he looks, his eyes trailing from Magenta Suit’s ass all the way up to his shoulders. He’s not a tall guy, but the cut of the suit fits this guy so well that Kurt can easily imagine a narrow waist tapering down from those shoulders. When the guy turns his head and Kurt finally catches a glimpse of his profile, all the noise in the bar turns into a distant echo. It’s Blaine. _Blaine._

“You alright honey?” Jeremy asks. He’s got their virgin drinks in hand, one eyebrow raised, and almost a look of concern on his face. 

Kurt is having a hard time forming words, and it’s loud in the bar anyway, so he leans in close to Jeremy’s ear. “It’s Blaine.” 

“Blaine?” Jeremy’s eyes go wide and dart around the room. “Mr. I’ve-met-the-love-of-my-life-at-a-traveling-carnival-in-Ohio Blaine? Here?” 

“Over there, with the great ass!” Kurt whisper shouts. Jeremy stomps his feet, squealing in his excitement for Kurt, but Kurt is already turning back to look at Blaine’s profile. Blaine is laughing now, obviously enjoying hanging out with his friends. They’re singing and jumping around and having fun. Blaine is radiant, and Kurt can’t look away. 

Other than a few shared photographs it’s been weeks - months - since they’ve seen each other in person, and Kurt can’t get over how different Blaine looks. With his his hair neatly combed and his perfectly fit suit he looks almost like a different person. 

And that’s what Kurt is worried about. What if this impeccably well groomed Blaine wasn’t really interested in small-town Ohio Kurt? Not that Kurt couldn’t hold his own in the style department - he definitely could, but maybe Blaine isn’t interested in bringing his midwestern summer fling from Ohio with him into his new life in New York.

Kurt’s imagination is still tormenting him when, without warning at all, Blaine finally turns his head far enough to see him. Kurt is still so overwhelmed by Blaine’s presence in the bar that he doesn’t notice when Jeremy kisses him on the cheek and wishes him luck, but he does notice Blaine’s face going from confusion to excitement in a second before his expression crumples.

He’s too far away for Kurt to hear him speak, but he can see Blaine mouth _Kurt?_ and move in Kurt’s direction, away from his friends. Kut lets his feet take over, and he pushes through the crowd, toward Blaine. 

“Blaine!” Blaine practically leaps at Kurt, and Kurt accepts the hug gratefully, so happy just to be touching him again. When they break apart Kurt looks into Blaine’s eyes, but whatever had upset him a moment ago seems to have gone, and his face is lit up by the same smile that had burrowed into Kurt’s heart over the summer. “You look amazing,” Kurt tells him. “That suit fits you like it was made for you.”

Blaine turns away, his head nodding slightly, and Kurt knows that if he wasn’t already red faced from the heat in the bar Blaine would be blushing.

“Well, I actually had it tailored,” Blaine tells him. “I was inspired by your attitude so I found a good tailor as soon as I got to New York.”

Kurt beams at the idea that Blaine had been thinking of him. “Well it was worth whatever you paid,” he says, and because the moment isn’t awkward enough, he continues, “Special night?” Kurt looks over at the group of boys Blaine was with.

“Oh, um we had a recital, earlier. They’re semi formal so everyone has to turn out in their best.” Blaine fusses with his lapels. “This is the best I brought. Though I’m probably going to need to pick up a couple of other suits. I’m going to stand out pretty badly if I show up in this thing every time.”

Kurt thinks he’d stand out spectacularly, but he keeps it to himself. “Oooh, fancy clothes shopping. Sounds fun.”

Blaine’s face brightens a bit. “Maybe you want to come with me? I mean, you’ve got a great eye. If you’re not too busy.” Blaine’s eyes dart over Kurt’s shoulder, and he goes on before Kurt can respond. “Is that Rachel?”

“Yes!” Kurt is grateful for the redirection. “Come say hi. You can meet my roommate too. He’s a pip.”

Blaine follows Kurt to the back table where Rachel is sitting with a few of her NYADA friends, and Jeremy. Kurt hasn’t met any of Rachel’s friends yet, but Jeremy is already ensconced in the middle with an arm around one of them like they’ve known each other since birth. 

“Blaine! What are you doing here?” Rachel practically knocks their little table over as she leaps out of her chair and hurls herself at Blaine. “Did you know we were coming? Kurt did you tell Blaine we were coming tonight? Do you sing Blaine? Kurt I remember you told me Blaine sung. Sang. Sings?” She screws her face up in a confused scrunch. “Is a singer.” If Kurt didn’t know better he’d think Rachel is drunk. 

“Uh, hi Rachel,” Blaine looks a little stunned, but manages to hug Rachel and keep her from falling down when she looks like she’s teetering. 

Kurt tugs her arm, pulling her to the side. “Rachel are you drunk?” 

“I might have had some of Leo’s cosmo.” She looks up at him, eyes huge. “And by some I mean I may have drunk the whole thing.”

Kurt rolls his eyes. He doesn’t care if Rachel is having a drink -- so long as she doesn’t get them thrown out -- but she can be a handful to keep track of when she’s tipsy. “Well why don’t you introduce me and Blaine to Leo and the rest of your friends?” 

“Great idea!” Rachel giggles and slips an arm through Blaine’s elbow, turning him toward the table. She introduces all of her friends, then says “and the adorably terrible flirt in the middle is Kurt’s roommate, Jeremy.” Jeremy wiggles his fingers in their direction, winking. “Everyone - this is Kurt, my very best friend from high school. And this is his Blaine.”

Kurt stammers. Leave it to Rachel to completely humiliate him.

“I don’t — I don’t know if that’s entirely accurate,” Blaine says, next to him. Kurt turns to look at Blaine, but he’s staring at Jeremy. “I should leave you guys to hang out, and I should get back to my friends,” Blaine adds. “I’ll catch up with you later, Kurt.”

“Oh,” Kurt is sure he’s missing something, but it’s too loud and there are too many people in the room for him to figure out what it is. “You could all join us, if you want? I’m sure we could cram some more chairs in,” he says to Blaine.

“No that’s okay,” Blaine says. He gives Kurt a quick squeeze on his arm and with a wave at everyone goes back to his group.

“Kuuurt!” Rachel pulls him down on the seat next to her. “Blaine is here, isn’t that so amazing!” 

“Oh my god Rachel you are such a lightweight,” he answers. “He’s here with his friends.” 

Kurt is trying not to read too much into it. Blaine had seemed happy to see him at first, but he was so reluctant to hang out with them. Maybe he felt obliged to spend the time with the friends he came to the bar with. Kurt turns to see where Blaine is now, and finds him smiling and joking with his friends just as he’d been doing earlier. If anything, they whole group of them had got noticeably more physical with each other.

“Is it time to sing?” Kurt turns to see Rachel tugging on his elbow. “Kurt do you want to sing with me?”

“No, you go ahead,” he tells her. When Rachel pouts at him he adds, “Maybe later, after I soak up some alcohol fumes.” Kurt turns her around and gives her a little push toward the stage.

Kurt settles in and watches as Rachel completely captivates everyone in the room with her karaoke version of “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” It’s a Broadway friendly bar, so everyone is into it and Rachel is really on, stolen drinks be damned. Kurt hangs out with her friends, and one of them buys him a drink and slyly slips it in his direction, and Kurt is grateful. He doesn’t want to get drunk at all, but he’s not opposed to something to help him relax. 

As the night goes on, people take their turn at the mic, some good, some bad, some drunk, but Kurt can’t help but glancing in Blaine’s direction all night. He’s usually talking to someone else, but every few glances, Blaine is looking at him too.

At some point in the evening Kurt gets up to use the mens room. It’s weirdly crowded, and by the time he gets back to the bar area there’s a group of guys on stage singing. It takes him a minute to catch up with the words and the music, and when he does he realizes it’s Blaine and his friends.

_Before you met me_

_I was alright_

_But things were kinda heavy_

They are singing Katy Perry. And they are choreographed. If he didn’t already have a devastating crush on this boy this would have put him over the edge. They are singing along to the karaoke track, but Kurt can almost picture them in a coordinated acapella arrangement. There is no way they didn’t rehearse this.

Kurt can’t take his eyes off of Blaine. He’s charming and charismatic and oh so much more talented than Kurt imagined. When by some miracle Blaine finds Kurt in the crowd, he locks eyes on him for the rest of the song.

_My, heart, stops_

_When you look at me_

_Just, one, touch_

_Now baby I believe_

_This, is, real_

_So take a chance_

_And don't ever look back_

_Don't ever look back_

At some point Rachel appears at his elbow, giving him a squeeze as she jumps up and down. 

“He’s so good!” She squeals. “And I think he's singing to you Kurt,” she whisper-shouts in his ear. 

By the time the song is over Kurt doesn’t think, he knows. He untangles himself from Rachel and heads to where he can see a couple of Blaine’s taller friends in the crowd. But when he gets there he doesn’t see Blaine with them. He waits for a minute, but Blaine doesn’t appear anywhere. He’s about to head back to Rachel when one of the boys approaches him. 

“Kurt?” The boy sticks his hand out politely to shake. “I’m David. If you’re looking for Blaine he went outside to get some air.” He pulls at his shirt and frowns, giving the universal sign of “too sweaty,” and Kurt nods and heads toward the exit.

Kurt hadn’t thought it was too warm inside, but once outside Kurt is relieved to be in the cooler air. He spies a group of people hanging around smoking, and the usual New York foot traffic walking around, but initially sees no sign of Blaine. Kurt takes a walk to the corner with no luck, and worries that Blaine might have just left without saying anything to him, after obviously singing to him. He stops for a moment, staring into the New York night - the whole night has been weird. He just wants to go back to his dorm and get some sleep. 

“Kurt?” Kurt spins around and finds Blaine standing ten feet away. He looks hot and a little sweaty. He looks lovely.

“I was looking for you.” Kurt takes a step closer, then leads Blaine around the corner where there are less people.

“Jeremy’s cute,” Blaine says when they stop. 

“What?”

“Jeremy. He’s cute.” 

“Again, I say what?”

Blaine huffs a little, crossing his arms across his chest. “Congrats. Hot gay roommate.”

“Oh my god. Is that why you’ve been so weird?” Kurt is genuinely taken aback. “Jeremy is my room. mate. Roommate. That’s all.” Kurt retaliates with his own crossed arms. “I thought you were avoiding me.”

Blaine’s eyes go wide, and Kurt has to lean back to keep from falling into them. “I thought you were avoiding me, Kurt.” 

It doesn’t take long for either of them to drop their defenses. 

“I’m not. Avoiding you, I mean. I want to see you,” Kurt says. “Moving has been a lot -- a lot of things.” Blaine nods in what looks like agreement. “Did you sing that song to me?” Kurt asks. Blaine nods again, only he’s not looking at Kurt, and Kurt can’t really take how awkward it is. “Blaine,” he says, stepping forward. “How did you know I would be here?”

“I didn’t.” Blaine finally looks at him. “my roommates used to do it for their show choir, and when I was trying to think of ways to, I don’t know, _impress_ you, one of them suggested a song, and they taught me _oomf_ -” Kurt stops him with a kiss. When Blaine finally relaxes into it, _yeah okay_ , Kurt wraps his arms around Blaine’s neck, walking him back to the wall of the building. As far as Kurt’s concerned, they can stay out here until the morning.

“Blaine!” Kurt doesn’t recognize that voice.

“Kurt!” That one is Rachel.

They separate slightly, but Kurt doesn’t really want to get that far away. “Hey Wes,” Blaine says, but his arms are tight around Kurt’s waist.

“I guess you finally worked it out,” Wes says.

“Thank god,” Rachel says. “I thought Kurt was going to combust.”

“Yeah we’re good, if that’s all you need,” Kurt waves Rachel off. Blaine leans in to kiss his neck, and Rachel giggles. “You can be on your way. Tell Jeremy I’ll get myself home.”

“You could come home with me,” Blaine murmurs so only Kurt can hear. “I’ve got my own room. With a door and everything.”

“I have class at ten Blaine.” Kurt is tempted anyway. 

“You’ve been in New York almost a month. It’s past time for your first walk of shame.” Blaine waves at Wes and Rachel as they walk back into the bar. “We don’t have to do anything.”

“Blaine Anderson, if you think I am going to spend an entire night in your bed and not touch you in sexy ways, you are very mistaken.”

“Okay that’s cool too,” Blaine says, feigning nonchalance. Then he smiles. “So yes?”

Kurt laughs and kisses Blaine again. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.
> 
> (It's possible I'm not entirely done with this particular universe. There are a couple of things I still might want to write, and like with anything I publish, I'm always open for prompts.)


End file.
